Altered Fate
by Lolly4Holly
Summary: Nick is starting to wish that things in his life were different, he's waiting for a drastic change, but he gets a lot more than he bargained for. M/M  COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1: Drastic Change

**Altered Fate**

**Author:** Lolly4Holly

**Rated:** **(M)**

**Pairings:** Nick/Greg pre-slash.

**Summary:** Nick is starting to wish that things in his life were different, he's waiting for a drastic change, but he gets a lot more than he bargained for.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI or any of its characters.

**Warnings:** Adult content. **M/M** slash relationship. **Gender Swap** and **AR** (_Age Regression_) elements. Short story that I wrote shortly after 'Baby Makes Three'. I decided to go back and finish it, but I'm really nervous about posting it. **Although I read gender swap and age regression stories all the time on other sites, I've never actually dared to post any of my own. This isn't as extreme as one of the stories I've written, it's very toned down so I don't scare of my usual readers.**

**Thanks for reading, please Review!**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter One: Drastic Change<strong>

Monday mornings were always a brutal time of day for crime scene investigator, Nicholas Stokes. He was still exhausted from the weekend madness, feeling completely wrecked from all the triple and double shifts he pulled in the previous week. He used to spend the weekends lying around in bed to catch up on his much needed sleep, but since the change over at the lab, promoting him to Assistant Supervisor, he had given up on that luxury.

The worst part of all was that it wasn't really Monday morning, more like Sunday evening. His alarm clock obnoxiously buzzed at its usual time of six thirty, forcing him to rise from his sleep an hour early, so he had enough time to get ready for his shift at the crime lab.

Wanting just a few more minutes of sleep, Nick slammed his hand down on the snooze button, snuggling against his warm pillow beneath him again, so he could drift off to sleep for a second. He didn't mind missing out on breakfast; he could always grab something at the lab.

As soon his eyelids fell shut again though, he heard the beeping starting up again.

He gave out an annoyed groan, rolling over to turn it off this time. He double checked the time to make sure his alarm clock wasn't playing tricks on him, but it really had been five minutes. He collapsed back against his pillow, rubbing the crusty sleep from his eyes.

Sprawled out across the middle of his king sized bed, Nick contemplated on just how lonely his life was. He had never married. He didn't even have any friends outside of work anymore. He had lost touch with his college buddies. His work consumed his life too much for him to actually date anyone for a long period of time, and of course children were seriously out of the question.

He didn't have a hint of life outside of his demanding job. It had never bothered him before, but after nearly being blown up, shot and on the verge of a mental breakdown, he was seriously considering a drastic change in his life.

"Are you... firin' me?" Nick gulped on the word, watching the handy little helpers packing his things into boxes. Upon his arrival to the lab, he immediately head in the direction of his office, formerly Grissom's, only to find some people packing his things away, with the Undersheriff Ecklie watching them. "Does Catherine know about this?" He demanded to know answers. "Where's Greg's stuff?" He noticed the second empty desk, glad he wasn't being singled out, but that still didn't answer his question.

"It's come to my attention that you night shift CSI's think you can run this lab how you like." Ecklie finally spoke, folding his arms across his chest, slowly turning to face the confused CSI behind him. "We're going to... shake things up a bit, so to speak. We offered CSI Sanders a job on the swing shift, but he turned it down. He's got an interview in some research lab or something. We don't actually have a free space on days, so we're going to move Ellie Carter to nights. You can take her spot, since you have a history with one of the ladies on swing shift."

"Aren't you supposed to give notice or somethin'?" Nick stopped the man he despised from walking away from him, by blocking his former office door with his body. "Greg's just gone, just like that? Now you're movin' me to days." He tried to understand. "Day shift already has a supervisor, and an assistant supervisor... so I'm bein' demoted?"

"Don't take it personally, Nick. Catherine's being replaced too. We're changing around all the departments. A team stops being effective at its job when they've been doing it together for too long." The man pointed out to him, not caring that he was breaking the man's heart. "Excuse me." He stepped out into the hall, checking the message that just buzzed through on his phone. "That's Miss Carter, she must have got the email."

"Email?" Nick felt as though he was underwater, still dreaming or something. "What about the night shift? If Catherine and me are bein' demoted, who's gonna run it?" He asked him, almost laughing as Ecklie pointed to himself. "You? But you're the undersheriff, and no offense or anythin', but you haven't exactly picked up a kit in a while."

"I'll be monitoring the night shift, until we find and hire a new Supervisor." Ecklie corrected himself, pocketing his cell. "We'll be hiring a full team of new CSI's, despite the budget cuts going around the lab at the moment, but we can't run the night shift with no team."

Nick felt as though he still didn't understand. He couldn't believe that Greg would suddenly quit. He couldn't believe that Catherine of all people had been demoted, least of all him. He strived to do the best he could in any situation, especially his job, so what could he have possibly done wrong?

After moving his things into a new office, Nick decided to go out for a walk, as he wasn't exactly on shift. He didn't like what was happening with the shift change at work, but he couldn't complain, figuring Ecklie would really threaten to fire him if he did.

On his walk of the strip, he came across a club he used to frequent with Warrick.

He stepped inside, immediately smelling the stench of sweaty men. Up on the stage tonight was a young lady in a school uniform. She was dancing around on the stage in front of the old men drooling over her, slowly removing her clothes in time with the music.

Nick had never really been into strippers or women in general, so he took no notice, heading straight for the bar. "Drinking alone?" The bar tender asked him, a woman in her late forties, looking completely out of place amongst the young female dancers in their twenties. "Rough day at the office, hun?"

"Somethin' like that." He ordered a beer, dropping onto one of the stools in front of him.

"Don't any of my girls interest you?" She noticed he was looking at the male customers in her club, rather than the half naked women on the various stages around the room. "You know," She leant against the bar, exposing her enhanced chest, beneath the fabric of her v-neck top. "The bar next door might be of more interest to you."

"The gay bar?" Nick cocked an eyebrow in her direction, shaking his head with a smile on his face. "This place has more of a... sentimental value to it then some guys just wantin' to get into my pants."

"Can you blame em, hun?" She chortled, handing him his beer. "So, what's got a hottie like you so down in the dumps for? You break up with your boyfriend? Have some trouble at work or with the family?" She suggested, rolling her eyes at herself as she realised how rude she was being. "I'm sorry, you're not about to tell a complete stranger all of your problems, are yah? Loretta's the name." The confident woman introduced herself, reaching one hand out to Nick. "A lot of the guys around here call me the agony aunt, there's no problem I can't solve."

"Nick." He smiled at her, placing his hand into her own. "You own this place?"

"For twenty years now." She nodded, looking around at the establishment she had built her life around. "My former boss used to own this place. I danced on the stage to put myself through college, none of that nudity stuff, my girls are strictly go-go dancers, you know what that means?"

"No nudity." Nick guessed.

"Exactly." She proudly nodded. "Crystal over there." Loretta pointed to one of her girls, dressed in satin blue lingerie, with a fluffy boa around her neck. "She's putting herself through med school by dancing up on stage three times a week. Jade in the green, she's studying to become a lawyer. Not everyone gets into college on scholarships or on their parents these days; they have to find the money for themselves. Boss man put me in charge when he retired, making it clear to me that we never turn this place into just another strip dive. Strictly go-go, and we always take care of our own. We're more like a family."

"I used to have somethin' like that." Nick looked down at his beer bottle, missing the family he used to have at the lab.

"You live here in the city?" Loretta looked into his eyes, seeing a lost boy look in them, breaking her heart. "You definitely look like you belong here, hun. This place seems to attract the lost. My grandmother used to say it was a city for lost causes, but I've never believe that." She gently tapped Nick's hand, giving him a smile as he looked up at her. "I believe that every problem can be solved. So, what's troubling you, cutie?"

Nick gave her a shrug, not knowing where to start. "Everythin'. I always thought my life would fall into place after college, like it does in movies or books . . . but it hasn't."

"Oh sweetie, that's just a lie your folks cook up for yah when you're a kid. They never tell you how hard everything is going to be, they make it seem like a fairytale, because that's what their parents did to them." Loretta stood up straight, telling one of her inpatient customers to wait his turn, while she was talking to Nick. "Fairytales are just stories we cook up to hide the truth of this world. Real life is so much more adventurous then fairytales though. That's what makes it worth living." She gave him a wink, before she turned towards her protesting customer, grabbing him another drink.

Nick watched her serving her other customers, thinking over what she had said. He had always believed that he would get a fairytale ending, so he hadn't really been living his life. It took him a moment to realise just how stupid he had been.

Loretta was right, life was worth living, but he had wasted half of his on his career, years he would never get back.

"Here's another one for yah, on me, hun." Loretta set down a second beer bottle in front of Nick, giving the young man a smile. "Cheer up, hot stuff. It'll all work out, there's no problem that can't be solved."

"I wish." Nick finished his first beer, swearing he saw Loretta's eyes glowing bright green as he wrapped his hand around the second beer. "Thank you." He smiled at the kind woman.

"You are most welcome, my love."

Nick gave her a suspicious look, wondering why she was being so nice to him. He hesitantly raised the second beer to his lips, chugging back a gulp. He lowered the beer to take a look at the label, tasting a strange fruity taste on his tongue. It was the same brand he had been drinking before, but it left a mouth watering fruity taste in his mouth.

Ignoring the taste, he made his way over to the empty booths for some privacy, feeling as though everyone could see him from the bar. He talked to one of the girls who had just got off shift, as she recognised him from the lab. Trixie, also known as Tracy around the lab, had been a temp there for the last few months, carrying files between the different departments. She recognised Nick right away, having handed him a few files in the past few weeks. She told him all about how she was putting herself through college, wanting to become a crime scene investigator, just like him, before she left for her next job of waitressing.

"I saw you were nearly empty." A familiar voice startled him, holding a beer out in front of his eyes.

Nick looked at the beer bottle, before he lifted his gaze to the familiar face, smiling as he saw who it was. Greg set the beer he had bought for him on the table in front of him, before he slid into the booth opposite him, with a beer of his own.

"I guess you heard about what Ecklie's doing with the lab."

"Yeah." Nick set down his empty bottle. "I can't believe you quit, Greg. You love this job. How could you just give it all up for some... research lab?"

"Do you remember what happened the last time Ecklie split us up?" Greg brought back the painful memories of the Plexiglas coffin to him. "When he told me that he was splitting us up, demoting you and Catherine, I didn't wonna stay there anymore. We used to be a family, trusting each other with our lives, but that all changed after... Warrick." He spoke softly, resting his elbows against the table. He licked his lips, slowly lifting his gaze to look at Nick in front of him. "The lab he recommended me to is a genetic research lab. He thought with my background in DNA..."

"Are you gonna take it?"

Pursing his lips, the younger man nodded his head slightly. "I've been wanting a change for a while now. I've always wanted to discover something, since I was seven, that's always been my dream. I know it's not going to be as exciting or anything like the lab, but its better hours, more money..."

"You plannin' on settlin' down?" Nick smirked, raising the second beer bottle to his lips. He widened his eyes as he saw the look on Greg's face, giving him a suspicious look as he lowered his beer. "You are? I mean, you're completely entitled to it." He realised he sounded a little shocked. "But I didn't even know that you were datin' anybody."

"Since the fake teacher I dated, I felt pretty embarrassed to tell anybody." The younger man admitted, resting his chin in his hands. "Are you surprised, that I'm dating... or thinking about a future?"

"A little of both." Nick brushed his thumb across the bubbled label on his beer bottle; wishing things could just stay the same. "If you go off and get married, I'm gonna be the only one."

"Only one?"

Nick nodded, lifting his gaze to look into Greg's eyes. "The only one without a life. When my brother and sisters started gettin' married, buyin' houses and havin' kids, it didn't bother me so much, because I still had you guys at the lab. My brother and sisters give me shit every year about not bein' married or havin' any kids. It's never really bothered me, but then Warrick got married and had a kid. Grissom and Sara are married, wantin' to adopt kids . . . and now you, Greggo." He smiled as he looked at the younger man. "When I first saw you in the lab, you were like a kid. You didn't look old enough to be workin' there. You were so full of life, completely different from anyone I'd ever met before..."

"Oh c'mon Nicky, my mother's supposed to be the one getting all sentimental in my old age, not you." He giggled softly, reaching across the table for Nick's hand. "I didn't say I _was_ getting married. I haven't proposed or anything. It's just something... I've been thinking about it a lot. I never thought I would ever be mature enough to be a father, but I guess you don't really know until you actually have a kid yourself."

Nick nodded in agreement, pulling his hand away from Greg's as a waitress walked by them. Even though she was the one in a skimpy outfit that barely covered anything, he felt more exposed with his hand on Greg's. "So... this girl you've been datin'? I assume she's a girl, since you said that you hadn't proposed."

"You think I'd be the bitch in a boy on boy relationship?" Greg giggled, making Nick blush. "Yes, she's a girl... or woman should I say, she's slightly older than me."

"Not too old I hope." Nick took a swig of his beer. "You don't wonna marry an old broad with rotten eggs. Then you've got no chance of becomin' a father."

Greg immediately burst out laughing, rolling his eyes at Nick. "I can't believe people think that _you're_ the ladies man. When's the last time that you even had a date, scratch that, when's the last time you had sex?"

"That's personal, Sanders." The older man warned him, calling over the waitress to get them some more beers. "And it hasn't been _that_ long. Couple of months." He shrugged, thinking it had actually been more like a year. "Besides, I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to datin'."

"You can't hide behind that excuse forever." Greg removed his jacket, dropping it onto the seat beside him. "You deserve to be happy too, Nicky. Even if it's just a quickie in the back room."

"Ew." Nick cringed, squirming in his seat. "You know I'd never go near those rooms. I don't even take home guys on a one night stand. I don't know how anyone can do that." He knew Greg didn't care what he liked, so he felt open to talk to him about it, unlike anyone else. Warrick was never comfortable around him after he confessed the truth, and none of his family bothered to know the truth, so Greg was the only one he really had. "It's not as easy for me to date as someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Greg felt offended by Nick's words, knowing he didn't mean it like that.

"You dated one guy, once in college, experimental at best." The older man pointed out to him. "Sometimes, I wish I was normal like you. Guys are so full of shit, they don't care about relationships and all that crap. They just want their next sexual high."

"The guys in Las Vegas maybe." He nodded, jumping in to defend gay men of the world. "There must be one decent guy out there somewhere that wants the same things as you, Nicky. Just because you don't like women, it doesn't mean that you're not normal. You think I'm normal?" He giggled, reaching for Nick's hand across the table again. "I'm anything but normal. My first crush was on a boy. He was my first kiss too. In college, I thought for sure I was gay, because I couldn't stop thinking about the guys in the locker room or something stupid like that. But I wasn't in love with any of them; I just... liked the thrill of something new and unoriginal."

"But you're not gay." Nick pointed out to him. "You can date women and be happy. Even if you were, you'd get way more dates then someone like me. I don't like the whole club scene, gay bars still freak me out and I don't pick up men from ads. It's hard to meet other guys that are like me, without puttin' my professional reputation on the line." He chugged back the last gulp of his beer, calling over their waitress to order some more.

Greg tried to think of something that would cheer Nick up, but he wasn't sure what he could say. He dated guys occasionally for the sexual thrill, but Nick actually wanted a relationship with one.

"I'm still a virgin." Nick abruptly announced, resting his chin in his hands. "I waited too long. I shoulda let that guy in college show me the ropes, but I was too scared. I had only just met him; I can't even remember his freakin' name. He was the first guy I kissed, and he offered to show me the ropes of... all the things we could do." He smiled up at Greg. "But I was still just figurin' out my sexuality. From what my folks and people had said about gay men, I was tryin' to be straight, so they wouldn't worry that there was some... demon spirit in me. I missed my chance then to..."

"Blossom?" Greg suggested, giving his long time friend a smile. "You've never had sex with a guy?"

"It depends what you mean." Nick anxiously licked his lips, speaking in a lower voice. "If you mean... penetration, then no. It's not like I haven't had sex though, I'm not some forty year old virgin. I've been sleepin' with women to keep up appearances. I was always too scared to do it... with a man. I'm too old to dive into my first time now." He gave out a chuckle, spinning his beer bottle in his hands. "At least this way I still get into heaven."

Greg smiled in response, amazed at how little he really knew about Nick. He had always seen him as a strong, confident, obviously sexy man, who had his life figured out. He used to talk about his dates with confidence, brushing his relationships that didn't work out under the rug, as if they didn't matter to him, just like most guys did.

But underneath, Greg realised that he was still just a child when it came to relationships. He had the sexual maturity of a thirteen year old boy, just figuring out that his male genitals got hard when he was excited.

Sensing his buddy needed some serious cheering up, Greg allowed him to continue drinking, getting pretty wasted himself, as Nick kept insisting that he didn't want to drink alone. About four in the morning, Greg finally decided to call it quits, struggling to help his best friend out to a taxi, so he could make sure he got home safe.

Completely oblivious to Nick's longing feelings for him, Greg helped him into his house, taking him straight through to the master bedroom. Nick's place had two bedrooms, but the other one currently had a pool table in it. His guests usually had to sleep on his leather sofa, but Greg wouldn't advise it. The last time he slept on that thing, it was the hottest day in Vegas. He felt as though his skin was melting into the leather. Every time he moved, the sofa squeaked from the friction of the sticky surface against his body, it was a nightmare and he didn't get a wink of sleep.

Nick fell back against his bed as Greg helped him into the room, looking up at the blank ceiling he had been staring up at when he woke up. He had been wishing for a drastic change in his life, but this isn't what he had in mind. He didn't want things to change around at the lab, and he certainly didn't want his long time crush to leave.

They'd never get to see each other again, losing touch just like he did with all of his college buddies.

Nick turned his attention towards Greg, watching him removing his shoes for him, before he helped him to slide further back on his large double bed to go to sleep. Even in his drunken haze, the bed felt so empty with just him in it. He looked up into Greg's beautiful caramel brown eyes, forcing himself to sit up, so he could get a better look at the cute spikes of his hair and the adorable clusters of moles that scattered his cute little face.

Nick felt his heart fluttering inside of his chest, the familiar tightening of his groin, followed by the warm swirls in his stomach. He had kept his crush for his work colleague suppressed for so long, that when he finally let it out of the cage, he couldn't control it.

He kissed him.

He shouldn't have done it. He knew that much.

Not just a peck on the cheek either, a full blown kiss to the lips. Those lips he had dreamed of tasting for years, and they were far better than any fantasy kiss. He ran his tongue across Greg's lower lip, sucking it lightly, then used his tongue to part Greg's lips.

As their tongues met, Greg pulled back, looking as though he was going to say something, but instead, he just looked Nick in the eye with a perplexed look on his face. He stayed perfectly still for the longest minute of Nick's life, before he was suddenly kneeling on the bed in front of him, bringing their mouths together on his own. Soft lips, warm breathe and moist tongues, joining together in the forbidden caverns of their mouths.

Nick felt as though he was breaking every rule in the book, just by allowing this kiss to continue. He wanted to speak. Ask if this was okay or if he had taken it too far, but his voice wouldn't work.

Greg inched closer on the bed, tracing his finger across Nick's hairline on his neck, gently nipping at the older man's vulnerable lip.

How could he stop him now? He was the one who initiated it. But no one could say that Greg wasn't a willing participant.

Surrendering to his feelings, Nick gave the younger man a gentle push back, so he was laying across the middle of his king sized bed. He could feel Greg's hunger for him, from the dark, lustful look in his eyes. At this point, he didn't care if he _was_ fuelling the younger man's sexual thrill; he just needed to feel him. He wanted to know just how soft Greg's smooth skin was against his own. Or the feel of running his fingers through his hair, while their tongues merged together inside their mouths.

Nick took a breath, shaking a little as he moved himself to straddle Greg's hips. He wasn't sure who was more vulnerable at this point. Greg's eyes were wide open, his lips slightly parted, with his breath heaving from his chest. He didn't look uncomfortable, just a little flustered that his best friend had just straddled him.

But Greg looked even sexier in his vulnerable state.

Nick leaned in to kiss the adorable man's cheek, just beneath his left eye. He watched the younger man's gorgeous long lashes fluttering across his cheeks, before he returned to kissing his lips. It seemed almost surreal, but it felt more real than of his many hundreds of dreams.

He could finally have what his heart desired.

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><p><strong>There's the first chapter, there are eight total. Once I've re-read and corrected each chapter, I will upload it straight away. Please let me know what you think of it so far. Obviously nothing supernatural has happened yet, it's more like an introduction chapter :D<strong>

**Have a Great Weekend!**

**~ Holly**


	2. Chapter 2: Morning After

**Chapter Two: Morning After**

When Nick woke up the next morning, his first thought was '_Ow, my head'._ He couldn't believe how much he had drunk yesterday. He hadn't drunk that much in years, feeling as though his poor brain was pounding against his skull, desperately trying to function. He turned his head to the side, realising he wasn't alone. The events of last night flashed through his mind, the parts he could remember anyway. He had kissed Greg, thinking the younger man would reject him, but instead, he kissed him back. He thought Greg would have left during the night, but the mere sight of his bare back, especially those beautiful scars that decorated his delicious skin, was enough to reassure him that the memories flooding through his hung over brain weren't just _another_ fantasy.

Not even a lust driven, borderline obsessive like himself could so vividly dream up the precise feel of his beautiful bare skin under his hands, or the taste of Greg's collarbone under his tongue. He tried his best not to move, not wanting to wake him; otherwise he'd have to think up some awkward small talk that came with one night stands.

For as long as Nick could remember, he had wanted something like last night to happen, but he never did anything, knowing full well that it could ruin their friendship. He wished his drunken mind could have figured that one out too. There was every chance that he had ruined everything they had by kissing him, but there was a small chance that he might have just gained a willing boyfriend.

Suddenly, Greg stirred slightly. He coughed, rolling onto his back, so he was closer against Nick's side. It didn't seem to bother the younger man, until his leg brushed against Nick's. He raised his hand to rub the sleep from his eyes, finally becoming aware of the fact that someone was watching his every movement with a look of awe on his face.

For just a moment, Greg stared at Nick awkwardly, as though he was trying to remember what had happened himself. "Hi." He spoke softly, giving the older man a cautious smile.

"Hey." Nick cleared his throat, resting his arm against the pillow above him. "Are you... okay?"

"Besides the pounding in my head." The younger man gave him a slightly wider smile, resting his palm over his sticky forehead. "I could use some coffee. You want me..."

"Don't move." Nick struggled to sit up. "I'll get it." He was relieved that Greg wasn't freaked out, but he was hoping that they could have talked about what had happened, not just pretend that it didn't happen. He manoeuvred himself towards the edge of his bed, reaching for his shorts over the side of the bed. He pulled them on under his silk sheets, knowing Greg had already seen him naked, but it was different now that neither one of them were under the influence of alcohol.

"Hey Nicky," Greg stopped him as he reached his bedroom door. He allowed his eyes to travel across the older man's golden torso, before he spoke again, "For the record... we didn't... you know, we didn't have... sex, right?"

Nick nervously bit his lip, shaking his head. "Not in the... penetration sense of the word, no." He watched Greg giving out a sigh of relief, feeling as though someone had just stabbed him in the heart, slowly turning the knife to deepen the wound. "I'm sorry." He didn't know why he was apologising, he just felt like it was the thing to do, since he was the one who started it.

"Nick!" The younger man called out to him, sitting up this time to look him in the eye. "I didn't mean that... the way it sounded. I just meant..."

"You don't have to say anythin', Greg." He leant against his doorframe, looking back at the beautiful young man in his bed. "I'm not naive; I know that last night doesn't change anythin'."

"That's not what I was gonna say." Greg shook his head, anxiously licking his bottom lip. "If we did... I'd want to remember it." He paused as he had a flash of memories from last night, re-experiencing some of the pleasure he had felt last night when Nick's hands were on his chest. "C'mere," He ushered him back to the bed. Nick nervously made his way towards him, dropping onto his knees on the bed. "I've always liked you, Nicky." He confessed.

"This the part where you let me down easy?"

"No." He raised his hand, gently brushing his fingers through Nick's bed messed hair. "I've thought about this really happening a few times, but it was never like this. From what I can remember, it was even more amazing than any one of my fantasies. That's why if we did really, you know, I'd want to remember it. I've been with a couple of guys, but I've never... had my cherry popped." He smirked, playfully ruffling his hand through Nick's hair. "For the record, I would love it if you were the one to do the honours."

"So, you don't regret," Nick lifted his gaze to look Greg in the eye, feeling ready to surrender himself to him as soon as Greg gave the word. "Bein' with me?"

Greg shook his head, lowering his hand to cup Nick's cheek in his palm. "I feel really weird for saying this to you, because you're my best friend and I've always kinda looked up to you at work, but I wish I could remember all of it. I don't even remember falling asleep, and everything else... is still kinda foggy." Gripping Nick's hand in his own, Greg closed his eyes, having more flashes of Nick kissing his neck. "Who'd have ever thought that I'd get to sleep with the boss?"

The older man smiled at him, nervously poking his tongue out of his lips to wet them, feeling as though they were cracked from all their kissing last night. "How about that coffee?" He suggested, climbing off the bed again. "I don't have any of that Blue Hawaiian stuff that you like, but I've got the regular stuff."

"That's fine." Greg smiled at him, dropping his head back to the pillow beneath him. "Black, no sugar."

"After ten... nearly eleven years of knowin' you, I think I know how you take your coffee, G." Nick winked at him, exiting the room to make his way towards the kitchen. He ruffled his hand through his bed creased hair, leaning against the counter while he waited for the water to boil.

He caught sight of Greg's jacket hanging beside his own by the door. He took a step closer, noticing something poking out of the pocket. Always being the curious CSI that he was, he reached into the pocket, pulling out the folded piece of paper. It was a letter addressed to Greg, of a job placement in San Francisco. Greg had never said anything about the job being in another city. He really wouldn't get to see him anymore if he was dead set on taking it.

"You're really goin' to work in a genetic research lab, goin' back to your clean workspace, test tubes and stuff?" Nick stepped back into the bedroom, handing Greg one of the coffees from his hands. "I thought you gave all that up because you were sick of it?"

"I was, but... it's not like I really have a choice." Greg struggled to sit up, adjusting the silk sheet to cover his waist.

"You're movin' to San Francisco for this job that you don't even want?"

Greg smiled, realising that Nick had found the letter. "Shoulda known that I couldn't hide anything from a CSI." He circled his hands around his warm coffee mug, pursing his lips as he watched the warm liquid swirling in its china casing, kind of how his stomach was feeling right now. "Yes, I _might_ be moving to San Francisco. If I get bored with the lab, I can always get a job at their crime lab. The most photographed city in the world has got to have some weird crimes that we've never seen here before."

Nick gave out a chuckle, unable to believe that any other place could be freakier than this place. "What about this girlfriend that you're plannin' to marry, but haven't proposed to yet?"

"I don't think we're that serious." The younger man shook his head, licking his lower lip. "And I haven't even told her yet. I haven't even told my mother yet, and you know she's always the first to know everything that happens in my life. You're the first to know."

Taking a seat on the bed in front of Greg, he asked, "Are you really goin' then?"

Greg nodded, seeing his bed mate's eyes glazing over as soon as he confirmed his suspicions. "Not for a while yet though, I still have to find a place and sort everything else out." He crossed his legs, inching himself closer towards Nick. "Come with me."

"What?"

"I'm serious, come with me. What's left for you here? Maybe the reason why neither of us have ever found anybody that's right for us, is because we're meant to be together?" He suggested, knowing that was a ridiculous conclusion to come to after only one night together. "San Francisco will be great for you too. What better place to come out of your shell?"

"You're askin' me to go with you though?" He gave Greg a curious look. "That's a pretty big commitment after only one night."

"It's not like we're really rushing into anything though." He pointed out to him, lifting Nick's chin so he could look into his glazed eyes. "We've known each other for eleven years. If it doesn't work out, you can find somebody else. There's gay guys everywhere in San Francisco, believe me, I spent some of my experimental years there."

"No... I can't." While he appreciated the offer, Nick had to decline. He had no idea how he would explain something like that to his parents, much less to other people, and he didn't want to move out of Las Vegas. What was once an escape city from the people suffocating his life in Texas, quickly became more like a second home to him. He couldn't leave that behind.

"Okay." Greg took a sip of his coffee. "Could I use your shower?"

"Yeah, there's towels in the cupboard. If you need a toothbrush, there's some new ones in the cupboard underneath the sink. And you're welcome to use the razors and things."

"Thanks." Greg set his coffee down on the side, moving himself towards the edge of the bed. Instead of worrying about being naked in front of the older man, he slipped right out of bed, walking off towards the bathroom with a grin across his lips, knowing full well that Nick was watching his every move with lust in his eyes.

He knew he shouldn't be tormenting him like this, but he loved having power over him.

Nick stayed on the bed while Greg showered, slowly sipping his own hot coffee to nurse his hangover. Although he had experienced many hangovers in his time, none were quite like this one. He could still feel the buzz of the alcohol fuelling his mind, the way it used to when he was still just a teenager. He licked his lips once his coffee was finished, realising his mouth tasted fruity.

He thought perhaps it might have been from kissing Greg, tasting his smooth skin with his tongue, but the fruity taste had been there long before that. He thought back to the night before, remembering that second beer that Loretta had handed him. If she had spiked his drink with something, he thought he would have been feeling the effects, but there was just a fruity taste.

Nick looked towards the bathroom door as the younger man emerged, a towel wrapped around his waist, water running down his smooth chest and his wet hair swept off to the side. He stared at him in awe for just a moment, having never seen him look so beautiful before.

"Did you... wonna borrow some clothes?" He indicated towards his closet over his shoulder.

"No." Greg would feel even weirder if he had to wear Nick's clothes after their night together. He held the towel in place around his waist, picking up his t-shirt from the mess on the floor. "I'll just wear my stuff. I'm only heading home to sleep off my hangover anyway."

"Okay." Nick let him do what he wanted, wishing there was something he could say or do to make him stay a little longer, but he thought that it really was best if they were alone to think about this for now. "You're not gonna go home and slit your wrists over this or anythin', right?"

"No." The younger man giggled, playfully ruffling his hand through Nick's hair. "More like falling asleep in my own bed, probably dreaming of you naked." He joked, searching the floor for his jeans.

"You have to go home to do that?" Nick pointed his attention towards the chair across the room, where Greg's jeans were hiding. "Greg, what do we... do now?" He asked, watching him pulling his boxers on beneath the towel, finally dropping the towel to the floor, once his underwear was in place. "Do we just go back to normal or...?"

"I don't know." Greg pulled his jeans on, fastening them into place around his hips. "What do you think we should do?"

"I know we're not about to run off and get married or anythin' like that, and I know that you can't be with me... not the way I want you to, because you're not like me." The older man gave out a soft sigh, slowly lifting his gaze to look at Greg in front of him. "I guess it'll be easier on both of us, if we just forget this ever happened. You've got your girlfriend, movin' on with your life... and I'm..." He looked around his room, that was _just_ beginning to feel a little less empty with the presence of Greg in it. "Stuck here."

"Don't get all depressive on me, Nicky." Greg took a seat beside him on the bed, lifting his hand into his own. "I never said that I didn't want... something to happen. You may have kissed me first, but I wanted this to happen." He leant forwards, surprising Nick by capturing his lips between his own. He pressed their warm wet lips together, gently nudging his minty tongue into the Texan's fruity mouth. "Maybe the reason why I never clicked with all those other guys, is because I wasn't meant to be with them." He smirked.

"You think fate brought us together?" Nick laughed, finding that hard to believe. "I think a lot of alcohol brought us here. If I had never of gone to that bar, thinkin' over the tons of regrets and bad choices in my life, I wouldn't have been drinkin' so much. You would have never needed to bring me home, and this would have never happened."

"What if I was looking for you?" Greg suggested, making Nick raise an eyebrow to look up at him. "Do you think I just stumbled into that bar by accident? I was looking for you at the lab, but I bumped into Ecklie. He told me how you reacted to him shaking things up, and that he told you that I was leaving, and I knew exactly where you'd be. The second I heard about that job opportunity, I thought about what I'd have to leave behind. You were the first thing that popped into my head, Nicky."

"You're lyin'." Nick shook his head, asking, "Why would anyone think of me?"

"You have no idea how special you are, Nicky. And why would I lie?" He gave him an innocent smile, looking into the gorgeous man's troubled eyes. "I don't have any reason to lie. Maybe if I was still working at the lab, I might try to sleep with you to gain something at work, but I'm not."

"You're tellin' me that it was you who planned this?" Nick gave him a confused look. "But I kissed you."

"I'm not saying that anybody planned it." He shook his head, entwining his fingers together with Nick's, much like he had done last night in the midst of his climax. "In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity." He grinned at the older man. "Albert Einstein said that. I know you don't believe in fate or destiny or anything like that, but what happened in each of our lives, brought us closer together."

"So, while I was bein' demoted, contemplating on the choices I've made in my life, fate decided to throw me and you together, at the worst possible time?"

"Or was it the best?" The younger man asked him, keeping their hands together, resting against his thigh. "Think about it, your down on your luck, I'm thinking about leaving for a new job... what better time than now to throw us together? Of course, just because this path is thrown in front of us, doesn't mean we have to take it. Your destiny changes as you do, that's what I believe."

Nick abruptly pulled his hand away from him, climbing off his bed. "Then I chose not to. I'm not some experiment that you can play with, Greg. I'm a person and I have feelin's." He was voicing his feelings from the last guy that tried to do this to him, knowing it had nothing to do with Greg, but he couldn't stop himself once he started. "I'm not gonna sit back, lettin' you play your stupid fantasy game with me, just so you can see what it's like on the other side. I won't do that, not again."

"Nicky, I..."

"Get out!" He suddenly shouted, pointing him towards the door, actually starting to scare Greg a little. When the younger man didn't climb to his feet right away, Nick snatched up his arm, giving him a rough tug towards the door.

"Okay, okay... let go." Greg pulled away from him, trying to defend himself, before they lost their friendship completely. "I didn't mean it like that. I didn't... I'd never do something like that to you. I know you've been hurt in the past..."

"You don't know anythin' about it!"

"I know. But I wouldn't do that to you!" Greg tried to get his point across, frightened at how hostile Nick had got in just a few seconds. "You know me, Nicky. You know I wouldn't hurt you like that. I don't know what I said that triggered this, but I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, I love you." He blurted, putting his back to Nick's front door.

"What?" Nick blinked a few times.

Realising he had just dropped a bombshell on the older man, he quickly explained, "I really like you, Nicky. We've always been close . . . and there's nobody like you in the world. We've been more like brothers than co-workers . . . and it's taken me a while to realise it, but I really do love you. Maybe I could learn to love you in the way that you want me to. That's all I was saying. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Okay." The shaky man nodded, wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. "Can you go now? I want to be alone."

"But..."

"Please!" He shouted, turning his head away from him. "Just go."

"Okay... sure." He gulped hard, reaching for his jacket, not really wanting to leave things like this, but he didn't want to say something that might set Nick off again. "Call me later, so I know you're okay, okay?"

Nick gave him a vacant nod, avoiding direct eye contact with him. He was still only dressed in his boxer shorts, with his hair cutely pillow creased that Greg found adorable. He had never found anything about another man adorable before, so he knew that there was something special about the relationship he had with Nick.

Greg pulled the door open behind him, giving Nick one last look, before he stepped outside. He reluctantly pulled the door shut, standing in the rays of the morning sunlight for a moment. He soon realised that he was stranded there, as both his and Nick's cars were still at the lab where they had left them the night before.

He'd have to call a cab, but he couldn't find his cell phone. He didn't want to go back inside to bother Nick again, but there was no way he could walk out of here.

It was too far.

He decided to give Nick a few minutes to cool down, before he bothered him again to find his phone. He figured it had fallen out of his jeans pocket when the older man was stripping him of his clothes last night. His wallet was still in his jacket pocket, along with the letter, but he always kept his phone in his jeans pocket.

Taking a seat on the curb outside of Nick's house, Greg rested his chin on his knees, looking around at Nick's early rising neighbours. An older man down the street was just wheeling his bin up the drive, stopping to talk to his female neighbour, still dressed in her bathrobe. She looked like she was flirting with him, but the older man didn't seem that interested. He looked more annoyed than he was pleased to talk to her.

Across the street, a man in his mid thirties was just coming out of his house, waving to his young wife in the doorway. He made his way towards his expensive car parked in the driveway, with a briefcase and a folded newspaper under his arm, telling Greg that he was probably a lawyer. The young wife looked a little haggard. The baby in her arms probably had something to do with that. When Greg saw a second child, a little boy of around three years hurrying into the doorway beside her, he realised just how tired she must have been.

He turned to watch another neighbour, hearing something rupturing as it hit a hard surface. He looked around for where the noise had come from, quickly jumping to his feet as it was obvious that it had come from Nick's house behind him.

Hurrying up the drive, Greg peered through the window, frantically knocking on the door, until his knuckles were sore.

When there was no answer after a minute or two, he searched for a spare key in the usual places, under the mat, on top of the doorframe, beneath flower pots or in hide-a-key rocks, but there wasn't one.

He ran round to the gate round the side of Nick's house, reaching over to unlock it, so he could hurry down the alley towards his back door. As he suspected, that door was locked too, but he found a spare key buried in the dirt beside the door. He wouldn't have noticed it if the dirt around it hadn't been disturbed; only a CSI mind would have noticed it.

"Nicky!" He hurried into his house, wondering what could have broken. He couldn't even think of the possibilities right now, he just had to find Nick to see if he was okay. "Nicky!" Seeing a pair of bare legs and feet sticking out from between the sofa and coffee table, Greg hurried over, seeing Nick passed out on the floor. He saw a broken picture frame just a few feet in front of him, suspecting Nick might have passed out while he was holding it.

"Nicky." He rolled him on the floor, gently slapping his cheek with the palm of his hand. "C'mon Nicky, don't do this to me." He checked his pulse, before he looked around for a phone. As soon as he spotted one, he lunged for it, punching in the numbers 9-1-1, patiently waiting for the operator to answer. He surveyed the details to her, checking that Nick was still alive like she said, telling her to tell the paramedics to hurry. "Don't you dare die on me!" He shouted at Nick, still trying to wake him up.

He didn't understand what could have happened to him. There were no wounds, marks or lacerations anywhere on his body. None of the broken glass from the picture frame had cut him. He was breathing. His heart was still beating, slightly faster than usual, but at least it was still beating. He thought he was far too young for a heart attack, and he didn't appear to be in any kind of distress, only making him worry more.

"What's his name?" The paramedic briefly lifted Nick's eyelid, shinning a light into his eye. He looked round at the equally unresponsive young man behind him, giving him a light tap to the shoulder. "Hey, buddy, you want me to help your friend, I'm gonna need to know some things. You two been doing drugs?"

Greg quickly shook his head. "He's clean. He was fine. Why isn't he okay now?"

"What's his name?" He asked again.

"Nick." Greg spoke softly, trying to hold it together. "Nick Stokes. He's thirty nine years old. No medical conditions. He's not allergic to anything. He wasn't having any kind of respiratory problems or anything before, he was just... normal."

"You found him like this?" The second, slightly obese paramedic asked, checking Nick was really breathing.

"What's..." Greg watched as Nick's body suddenly came to life, but not in the way he had hoped. He was seizing, violently. The paramedics turned him onto his side, stopping his head from hitting the floor. "Can't you do anything!" The younger man shouted at the useless paramedics.

"Step back." The larger man climbed to his feet, grabbing his radio to call it in. He and his partner swiftly loaded Nick onto the gurney they had brought in with them, wheeling him out to the awaiting ambulance outside.

The neighbours, who Greg had been watching a few moments ago, were now watching the commotion going on at Nick's house.

He really didn't like being looked at like this, knowing they were all thinking up their own little judgements about him, like he had done with them. Ignoring them, Greg climbed in the back with Nick, taking a seat beside him. He had finally stopped seizing, but he wasn't awake.

The paramedics closed up the doors, quickly driving off to the nearest hospital. They handed Nick over to the waiting doctors once they arrived, holding Greg back in the waiting room, so the doctors and nurses could do their jobs on trying to find out what was wrong with Nick.

Realising there was nothing else he could do, Greg dropped to one of the seats in the waiting room, anxiously tapping his foot against the floor. Based on Nick's symptoms, he had no idea what was wrong with him. He couldn't even think of any possibilities. He started to think that his sudden change in mood might have been one of the symptoms, but he completely missed it.

Maybe if he had stayed with him instead of trying to leave, none of this would have ever happened.

While the doctors were doing their job, he started to think about what he would do without him. He had always been there for him. In ways no one else in his life ever had. The last thing he would always remember would be that he made Nick upset, thinking he was going to hurt him, just like so many people in his past had.

Clenching his shaky hands together in his lap, Greg felt his lower lip quivering, just as the tears in his eyes escaped his closed lids, rolling down his freshly shaved jaw. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Nick. He wasn't just a man who had always been there for him. He wasn't just the brother he had never had. He was so much more than that.

It was that moment that he realised just how much he loved him.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the cliffe :D You know I love to keep you in suspense though. Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed. I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter.<strong>

_To Kaycee: I just do a google search of gender swap or age regression stories. There's the 'Nifty Archives', quite popular that you can easily find on google. The transgendered stories usually have quite a few sudden gender swap stories in them. And for age regression just do a google search of 'AR archive'._

**Please let me know what you thought of this next chapter. More on the way soon. **

**~ Holly**


	3. Chapter 3: Regression

**Chapter Three: Regression**

When Nick woke up, he wasn't where he expected to be. He looked up at the bright white ceiling above him, trying to move his arms to scratch his itchy eyes, but they appeared to be restrained. Next he tried to lift his legs, but he couldn't. He felt as though there was something trapping him, keeping his whole body restrained to whatever he was trapped in. He turned his head to the side, looking through a clear plastic wall, blurring the room behind it.

Worrying he was trapped in another Plexiglas coffin; he tilted his head back, seeing a wall above his head, the same by his feet and another wall against his right side. His breathing quickly increased, whistling through his nose against his chin. He looked up, relieved to see that there wasn't a roof to his coffin this time and he didn't appear to be underground either. He tried to roll over, but there was something wrong with his body.

Had he somehow been paralyzed?

Looking up as a shadow was suddenly cast over him; Nick widened his eyes at the sight of the giant stood over him, feeling his whole body shivering in terror. Whoever had kidnapped him this time, really didn't look like the type of woman to do such a thing, but she was huge, and not in weight sense of the word either. She didn't look that huge in body mass; she looked pretty ordinary proportioned for a woman of her size.

She was just giant sized.

She said something to him, but her voice sounded like muffled, babble. She moved round to the head of the box he was in, placing her hands either side of it and started to push. Nick began to feel a little sea sick when she did this. He looked up at the ceiling above him, watching the tiles moving by very quickly. He felt vibrations running through his body, from whatever surface he was being wheeled across. He saw other huge people all around him, making him realise that they weren't huge at all; he was the one who had changed in size.

He saw lights, signs, doorframes and an elevator. He felt dizzy as the elevator started to move, feeling his body rocking about in the box he was in. When the elevator stopped, the woman started pushing him again. He felt a cold wind sweep across his cheeks from the speed she was moving at, wishing he could tell her to slow down, but his voice wasn't working.

She slowed down after he saw another doorframe, bringing the box to a halt in the middle of the room. The ceiling was tiled like the last couple of rooms, giving him no new indication of where he was. The woman reached her arms into the box he was in, easily lifting him into her arms. In fact, the entire length of his body only fit across one of her forearms.

This was too weird.

She carried him for a short while, muttering some more of her babble. Nick looked around, seeing another woman in the room, along with a man who looked strangely familiar to him. The woman appeared to be sitting down on something, dressed in a blue gown. Her long brown hair was sticky against her forehead. Her haggard eyes made her look exhausted, but her smooth skin was blemish free, making her look perfect. The more he stared at her, the more familiar she became.

Mom.

But she was so young. Her hair was longer, her eyes much brighter and her face was slightly chubbier. The last time he saw her, she still had short grey hair, dark eyes set back in her skull and her cheekbones were visible through her thinner skin. Now she was her beautiful, young self again.

The woman handed him over to his mother, who smiled down into his eyes, resting her large, warm hand against his smaller chest. He didn't know what was going on, but his mother hadn't looked at him like that in years. Her eyes were so full of love, rather than disappointment or worry that he usually saw. She pressed her lips to his forehead, just like she used to do when he was a child, before her attention turned to someone else in the room.

Nick followed her gaze, seeing the man slowly approaching them. As he got closer, Nick immediately recognised him as his father. Only he was younger too. His hair still had colour, he didn't look quite so scary and there was a look of love in his eyes too. Something he had _never_ seen in his eyes before, if he had, he would have remembered.

Was he sent back in time or something?

That couldn't be right. Time travel was impossible. It had to be a dream.

His father got closer, freeing his arms from what they had been trapped in. Nick stretched his arms out as far as he could, seeing his tiny, chubby little fingers. His fingernails were bright pink. His fingers were small and wrinkly. His hands had drastically diminished in size and his arms were cubby little lumps.

He sighed, realising all those hours he had spent at the gym, were for nothing.

He looked at his chubby wrist, seeing what looked like a hospital bracelet attached to it. It was blue with a piece of paper plastered across the front. He couldn't read the writing on it, but there was another one on his mother's wrist that looked exactly the same as his own.

As Nick continued to wave his hands around, his father suddenly grabbed hold of one of them, pressing his lips to his chubby little fingers. This completely surprised Nick, as his father hadn't shown him an ounce of affection since he was still in diapers. His mother did the same to his other hand, fussing over him as if he was a baby.

That's it!

_Idiot._ He thought to himself.

If he could slap himself in the head right now, he would have been doing that. It was so clear to him now, his diminished size, the plastic crib and the giant people around him.

He was a baby!

* * *

><p>"When's he gonna wake up?" Greg followed the doctor through the hall, blocking his path so he didn't walk away from him again. "Just tell me! What's happened to him? Why is this happening to him? What the hell is going on?" He demanded to know, feeling completely breathlessly after shouting all the questions that were on his mind.<p>

"I'm sorry, Mr Sanders." He solemnly shook his head. "But you're not immediate family. I've called his parents in Texas, they can't catch a flight over here to see him, but they've asked me to keep them notified. If you're as close to him as you say you are, why don't you just call his parents to see how he's doing."

"Because I'm standing right here!" He shouted at the stupid man, pointing to his feet on the floor. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"It's against the law to share a patient's information or condition with anyone other than family." The doctor reminded him, placing his hand on Greg's shoulder. "Your friend is stabilised. You've done all you can for him now, why don't you go home and get some sleep. We'll call you when he wakes up."

The younger man shook his head, refusing to go. Instead of staying with the doctor to argue with him some more though, he made his way back down the hall, towards Nick's room. Nick was still lying completely still in the middle of his bed, hooked up to all sorts of machines beside him, monitoring everything that was going on with his body.

Greg dropped into the chair beside his bed, gently touching his hand to Nick's forehead. "Where are you, Nicky?"

* * *

><p>When Nick awoke again, he was lying on his stomach on a soft surface that smelled of baby powder. He lifted his gaze, seeing vertical wooden bars in front of him, wondering where he was now. He rolled himself over onto his back, relieved that he could actually do that now. As he rolled, he felt some plastic padding around his waist. He lifted his legs in an attempt to see what it was, seeing his tiny little toes instead. He reached his hand towards his waist, feeling a strange band of material just beneath his belly button.<p>

It was official, he was wearing a diaper.

Deciding to not let it bother him, Nick worked on his escape, so he could get back to his normal life. He reached his chubby little arms out for the wooden bars, pulling himself up to his knees, before he attempted to stand. He felt a little wobbly, but he managed to do it, realising the diaper was the only thing he was wearing, and it felt wet.

Letting go of the bars, he immediately fell backwards, landing on the soft padding of his diaper, feeling the urge to cry. He tried to hold it in, but the need to cry was overpowering. He sat motionless in the baby's crib, sobbing quietly to himself for a moment. A few minutes later, he felt something in his mouth. He looked down, seeing his cubby little hand beneath his nose, realising that he was sucking his thumb.

He gave out a scream as he pulled it out, sobbing harder this time, more out of fear than anything else.

His mother suddenly hurried into the room, reaching into the crib to lift him up. She slid her warm hands beneath his naked armpits, lifting him free from the crib into her arms. "Mommy's here, baby. Shh, Mommy's here." She held him securely against her chest, one hand supporting his diapered bottom, with the other on his small back.

There was something so comforting about this embrace, especially in his time of need. She sat down in the rocking chair across the room, gently rocking backwards and forwards with her baby in her arms, trying to calm him down. When he quietened down, she carried him down the stairs, making him realise he was back at the ranch, only it looked slightly different. His mother held him securely against her side, walking straight through to the familiar kitchen, where the rest of the family was sat.

Nick widened his eyes at the sight of his younger brother and sisters. Not younger than him, but they were still all just children. None of them were married, with children of their own; they were all kids again too. He couldn't even tell the twins apart, as they looked so alike. He remembered that they used to dress alike when they were little, but when they became teenagers, they did everything they could to look different from one another.

These little girls looked completely identical though.

As his mother set him down in a highchair at the end of the table, he really did feel like the baby of the family again. His older brother, Chuck was sat at the end of the table, where his father usually sat. He looked as though he was around eighteen or nineteen, with the slightest amount of stubble on his chin. Not really a child anymore, but the last time Nick saw him; he was a greying old man in his late fifties.

It was weird to see him as a teenager again.

He knew that the littlest girl at the table had to be Kayla, as she was only two years older than him. She was an adorable little three year old, with barely any teeth in her mouth and pigtails either side of her head. Gwen was the obvious one, from her fiery red hair. She had red hair up until she was a teenager, when it started to get darker, looking more like an auburn brown, just like their mother.

His oldest sister looked about thirteen, with beautiful long blonde hair. Lillian was always dying her hair in the future. He had always wondered what her natural hair colour was, now he could finally see it, but it was weird to actually see things like this. He didn't feel like he was dreaming, as everything was so vivid, from the smells of the kitchen, sounds of his sisters giggling and the feel of the sticky plastic highchair against his naked thighs.

He was still fully aware of the fact that his diaper was wet, but there was something else that was bothering him in that area too, something that didn't feel quite right.

Looking towards his parents as he heard their voices, Nick watched his father embracing his mother in a hug, before he brought their mouths together for a passionate kiss. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen them kiss like that. He thought that it should have weirded him out, considering that they were his parents and all, but he was actually happy to see them like that.

His father then went round the table, kissing all his daughters goodbye, something Nick had often envied them for, as his father only ever showed the girls affection. Then his father completely surprised him, stopping at him to peck a kiss to his forehead. He assumed it must have been because he was a baby. His father never showed him affection when he was a child, no one could accuse the man of anything homosexual by kissing his baby boy goodbye.

Nick looked towards his older brother as their father left the house, without giving him so much as a hug, while everyone else got a kiss. Nick knew exactly what that was like. As soon as Chuck left for college, Nick was the only one in the house who never got any affection from their father, and it hurt, as though he had done something wrong.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean he has a fever?" Greg looked at the nurse across the bed from him, with Nick still sleeping between them. "How can he have a fever that quickly? He's only been here for... two hours." He looked at the clock, surprised it had only been that long.<p>

It felt much longer.

"Well, his temperature is spiking." The nurse showed him the digital thermometer as proof. "Has he had any head injuries recently?" She asked, picking up his chart from the end of the bed. Greg shook his head, dropping back into the seat behind him. "I think its best that you go home for the night, Mr Sanders. The doctor wants to run some more tests, along with an MRI scan, which is going to take some time, so there's really no point in you being here."

"What's the MRI for?"

"The doctor wants to make sure that there's no damage to his brain." She quickly answered, making her way towards the door. "You'll have to go home soon anyway; visitors can't just hang around all day, especially those who aren't family."

Greg glared at her as she turned around, wishing everyone would stop bringing that up. He may not have been Nick's family by blood, but they had been like brothers for the past eleven years, that had to count for something.

* * *

><p>"Wakey, wakey, sleepy head." His mother startled him awake.<p>

Blinking his eyes open a few times, Nick sleepily looked around the strange room he was in, realising that his mother had shorter hair. She was wearing a large hat that he recognised from somewhere, with a matching dress suit that also looked strangely familiar to him. He couldn't think where he had seen it before, but she was wearing her best jewellery, indicating that they must have been at a dinner party or something.

His mother unbuckled something that was around his chest, before she slid her hands beneath his arms, lifting him into her embrace. He looked down, realising that he had been sitting in a pushchair, where he had obviously fallen asleep. From his new height in his mother's arms, he could now see where they were, easily recognising this particular stage in his life, from his brother's outfit.

It was his brother, Chuck's wedding day to his pregnant wife, Marissa, putting Nick at three years old now. He didn't remember much of the day; most of his memories were from photos he had seen around the ranch. He realised that was where he had recognised his mother's outfit from. He could see his sisters skipping around in their beautiful dresses, impatiently waiting for the wedding to start.

Nick had been told many times that the wedding was delayed, because Marissa didn't really want to marry Chuck. Her own parents refused to let her get an abortion or put the baby up for adoption, practically forcing her up the aisle at seventeen to marry her twenty one year old boyfriend, Charles Stokes. They said it was her own fault for letting the boy knock her up in the first place, but she still cried for two hours before the wedding begun, making her guests wait for her.

Nick looked around at all the guests of the wedding, recognising a few of their outfits from the photos he had seen around the house. He saw a few of his cousins, Leo in particular, but he wasn't a bully at the moment. He was the cutest little five year old Nick had ever seen. He couldn't believe that he was actually afraid of that kid growing up; he was clutching his mother's side, with his finger up his nose.

He didn't look scary at all.

As his mother carried him through the crowd of annoyed guests, towards his brother at the front of the church, Nick felt the wind sweeping through his hair, brushing against something on his head. He raised his hand to touch his head, realising that his arm was covered in pink ruffles.

That can't be right.

While his mother was talking to Chuck, Nick touched his curious little hands to the pink ruffles, not remembering this from any of the photos. He looked down at himself, widening his eyes at the sight of himself in a pink ruffled dress.

This was all wrong.

He tugged at the strange object on his head, wincing as he pulled some hair to get it off. "Oh, baby!" His mother scolded him, seeing the pink bonnet in his hand that he had ripped off his head. "We'll be right back, sweetheart." She assured Nick's older brother, carrying her baby away towards the ladies room in the back. She sat him down against the sink counter, giving him a better view of the dress he was in. He raised his foot to eye level, seeing a girls white buckled shoe on his small foot.

Watching his mother touching up her makeup, Nick turned to look at the mirror that she was looking into, feeling as though his heart was about to stop in his chest. It wasn't him looking back at him, that was for sure. The person looking back at him was a little girl. He looked like one of his sisters, one he didn't recognise with his own eyes.

He realised that his hair was longer too. It was still the same colour brown, but it was now shoulder length and beautifully curled for the wedding. His mother fitted the bonnet he had pulled off back into place on his head, making him completely unrecognisable as the little boy he knew he was.

This was all wrong. If he was seeing images of his past, then why was he a girl in them?

He had to find a way to get back to reality, and fast.

* * *

><p>After reluctantly heading home to get some sleep, Greg eagerly returned to the hospital a few hours later, in a change of clothes. He ignored the nurses at the front desk, heading straight through to Nick's room, hoping he hadn't been moved. Walking into the room, Greg felt his heart skipping a beat, seeing that Nick was now on a ventilator. He hurried over to his side, looking at his pale white skin.<p>

"What the hell is going on?" Greg looked at the man he had made love to just a few hours ago, feeling as though he was now being forced to watch him die for no reason at all. He started to think that maybe he had something to do with this. Like his rejection of him had somehow caused his body to suddenly start shutting down like this.

"Mr Sanders, I tried to stop you out there." The nurse breathlessly hurried into the room after him, holding Nick's chart in her hands. "We've put Mr Stokes on a ventilator as a precaution. He's doing fine though. His temperature hasn't gone down yet, but the EEG is showing a lot of brain activity, which is always a good sign."

"Good sign of what?" Greg asked her, turning to face her. "One minute he's fine, the next he just passes out. Then he's having a seizure. His temperatures spiking. He has a fever. His body is attacking some unknown virus. He's on a ventilator and he's _still_ sleeping." He pointed out the facts to her, feeling tears in his eyes. "I love him so much! I can't lose him. Not like this."

As the man in front of her suddenly dropped to his knees on the floor, letting his tears flow down his cheeks, Amy quickly rushed to his aid, feeling her heart breaking for him.

"Oh sweetheart, I had no idea that you two of you were... why didn't you ever say anything before?" She put her arm around his shoulders, feeling the young man's chest hitching through his tears. "No wonder you didn't want to leave his side."

Greg wiped his eyes, lifting his head to look her in the eye. "I've known him for eleven years, but we've never actually dated until... did I do this to him?" He asked her, watching her shaking her head. "How do you know that? Maybe I was a shock to his system." He smirked, wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. "Last night was our first night together. He was perfectly fine. He was happy. I had just showered, ready to leave his place to go over to mine... and then this."

"You didn't do this, sweetheart." She assured him, gently smoothing her palm across his back. "He must have already had this virus. But you didn't cause this to happen to him."

"What _is_ happening to him?" Greg asked her again, still not understanding how this could happen to someone as healthy as Nick. "Why won't he wake up?"

* * *

><p>Opening his mouth as wide as he could, Nick looked at the mirror in front of him, counting how many teeth he had in his mouth. He ran his tongue across the gaps in his gums, forgetting how weird it felt against his tongue. By his estimates, he was about five years old now. His hair was longer, straight this time. Tied into pigtails either side of his head, with pink ribbons in them, tied into bows.<p>

That wasn't the worst part though.

He was wearing a dress. It was the 1970's. His older sisters were wearing hot pants and bell bottomed trousers, keeping up with the latest fashion, while he was stuck in girly little dresses. He looked through his wardrobe, seeing that all of his clothes were girly.

When he was boy the first time around, he moved straight into his older brother's bedroom, wearing all of his old clothes, right into Highschool. Now he was a girl though, he had a wide selection of clothes from all of his sisters. None of them had holes in them, grass stains or worn material, as their dresses were only worn on special occasions, and girls weren't allowed to rough play.

He found a second drawer with play clothes in it. Jeans, t-shirts, dungarees, all with noticeable girly designs. He looked around the room next; realising that it wasn't the one he had stayed in the first time around.

In fact, this was Kayla and Gwen's room.

Kayla was around eight, still into very girly things. Her bed was easily noticeable as it was pink, with all of her fluffy toys and dolls neatly sat on one end. Gwen was about ten, in her tomboy phase at the moment. She wore a lot of jeans and baseball caps, really into sports at the moment. Her bed was in the corner, with the baseball cards that she used to steal from Chuck on display.

Nick looked towards the last bed, assuming it must have been his. There was doll sat by his pillow, with her hair all curly, wearing a tartan dress. He looked through his drawers, finding pictures of his family in them. They were basically the same as the ones he had already seen before, only he had changed genders in each of them. He found one of his father that he had never seen before. He recognised the background as his maternal Grandmother's house, but the picture was unfamiliar to him.

His father was knelt down behind Nick in the picture, with his arms tightly wrapped around him. He appeared to be about the same age he was now, which was well past the age that his father showed affection towards him as a boy. He noticed in all the pictures that his father had a different look in his eyes when he was around him too.

Now he was a girl, it appeared that his father actually loved him.

"Nicky, sweetheart. C'mon, let's go." His mother appeared at his bedroom door, wearing flared jeans and platforms shoes, making her look even taller. When he was a boy, Nick had out grown his mother by the age of sixteen, but she was still a giant to him at the moment. "C'mon, I have to get your sisters off to school." She hurried her youngest along.

Nick reluctantly made his way towards her, wishing he could get out of this nightmare world where he had been trapped as a little girl in his own memories. But they were a lot more than just memories or nightmares, it felt as though he was living through his childhood again. Only this time as Nichola Parker Stokes.

The sixth daughter of Bill and Jillian Stokes.

* * *

><p><strong>Very different from my usual stories I know, but I wanted to try something very different from my usual stuff. Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed. I'm glad I didn't scare you aware with this story. More on the way soon.<strong>

**Please Review!**

**~ Holly**


	4. Chapter 4: Regrets

**Chapter Four: Regrets**

Waking up as the sun poured in through his window, Greg really didn't feel like going to the hospital to watch Nick getting worse by the minute, but he couldn't leave him there alone. He kicked back his covers to the end of the bed, immediately noticing his machine flashing with three messages. He rubbed the crusty sleep from the corners of his eyes, reaching out for the machine to press play.

"_Gregory, it's Mom, sweetheart. I just got your messages on the way home. I'm really sorry about your friend, honey. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know. Your father and I can drive over at a moment's notice to be with you. I know Nicky's going to be okay though, you just have to stay positive. That boy's got strong DNA."_ His mother assured him, rambling on about how his Nana Olaf was doing and what his father had been up to, finishing with, "_Call and let me know how Nicky is doing, when you get a chance. And don't kill yourself trying to be at his side all the time, honey. He wouldn't want you to do that. He cares about you more than you know."_

"How would you know that?" Greg asked the machine, skipping to the next message.

"_Greg, it's Rachel, you know your girlfriend. What's your deal? Are you avoiding me or something? I haven't heard from you in over a week. If I did something, I'm sorry. Would you just call me. Bye."_

Greg anxiously bit his lower lip, realising he had completely forgotten about Rachel. His one night stand with Nick was on Monday, but it was now Friday. Nick had been sleeping for five days now, for no reason that the doctors could find. He had been transferred to the coma ward, off the ventilator, but everything his body was doing was still being monitored by machines.

Greg deleted the second message from Rachel, without even listening to what else she had to say to him. It was pretty obvious to him that their relationship was over at this point. He didn't feel anything or care that it was over; he just wanted to get to the hospital to be with Nick again.

Once he was showered and changed, Greg hurried towards his apartment door, jumping at the sight of Catherine about to knock. "Whoa, Catherine. What are you doing here?" He placed his hand over his racing heart.

"I was just up the hospital with Nick." She lowered her hands to her sides, slowly lifting her gaze to look Greg in the eye. "You never told me how bad he was. I mean a coma. Our Nicky. It doesn't seem right."

"I know, the doctors can't explain it." Greg ushered her inside, seeing the obvious tear streaks on her face. "Can I get you a coffee or anything?"

Catherine shook her head, perching herself on the back of Greg's sofa. "No, I was just on my way home. Lindsey's gonna be waking up for school soon. I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing, Greg. Nick's parents are flying over this weekend, right?" The younger man responded with a nod, slowly closing his front door. "That's gonna be awful. Remember how upset they were when Nick was kidnapped?"

"Yeah." Greg stuffed his hands into his sweatshirt pockets, taking a few steps closer towards her. "Nick's mother cried on the phone. The hospital called them when he first went in, but I thought I should call them, since I was with him in the ambulance."

Catherine nodded, slowly reaching her arms out for Greg to hug him. The younger man responded, closing his eyes as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "We'll get him back." She whispered, gently smoothing her palms across Greg's back. "This _is_ Nicky we're talking about. He's strong. Whatever this is, he'll come out stronger on the other side, just like he always does." She assured him, feeling Greg's chest hitching against her. "Hey c'mon Greg, Nicky wouldn't want you crying over him. Even if he does love you."

"You know?" He abruptly pulled back from her, looking her in the eye. "How do you know?"

Catherine smiled in response. "Of course I know. He didn't tell me, but it's obvious. That man's not as good as hiding his feelings as he thinks. How do you know, did he finally get up the courage to tell you?"

"Not... in so many words. His actions spoke louder than his words." He fiddled with the zipper of his sweatshirt, deciding that Catherine was going to be the first one he was going to tell. "The night before he went into hospital, we sorta... we spent the night together." As he admitted it, he remembered a few more details of their passionate night together, feeling his heart fluttering inside of his chest. "It was our first night together. It was kinda confusing and weird when I woke up beside him, but it all makes sense to me now. I love him too. I have for a while, I just... never realised that this is something that I wanted with him."

Catherine lifted her purse from her side, pulling a packet of Kleenex tissues from it for Greg. "Of course you do, you're the most obvious. You're always looking at him when he's in a room, with your big puppy dog eyes. You always ask to be his partner on cases."

"Because we work well together." He protested his innocence, not really sure why.

"So you're not denying that you go all gooey eyed over him?" She giggled softly, handing him a tissue to wipe away his tears. "He's gonna be fine, and you'll get to work this all out. It's about time you did. You've been flirting with each other for the past decade. I thought you two would never figure it out."

"I knew that there was always something great between us, but I never figured out that it was this." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, licking his lips. "I'm the last to know."

"It's about time you figured it out." She smiled slightly, turning her gaze to the floor. "You better get to the hospital to be with Nick. When he wakes up, you wouldn't want him to wake up alone." Greg was relieved to hear her say _when_ rather than _if_ like all the doctors at the hospital. "Did you wonna ride to the hospital?" Catherine suggested, climbing to her feet off the sofa. Greg shook his head, wanting to go to see him by himself. "Alright. Keep me posted on how Nicky's doing, and let me know if you need anything. You may not work at the lab anymore, but we're still a family."

"I know." He nodded to her, giving her one last hug goodbye. "When he wakes up, I'm gonna tell him you were crying by his bedside." He teased her, getting poked in the side.

"I think he'd like to know about you crying over him more than me, Greggy." She pecked a kiss to his cheek, turning for the door. "Make sure that our Nicky gets better. He owes it to you."

* * *

><p>Standing in front of a class of six and seven year olds, with a piece of paper in his hands, Nick nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other, feeling completely out of place. The teacher had called his name, instructing him to read his report he had written on his summer vacation, but he couldn't read his scruffy handwriting. He didn't even think that he could read. He recognised a few letters across the page, mostly the ones that were in his name, but that was it.<p>

Somehow, his age regression had regressed his mind to that of a six year old too.

He didn't know what was more embarrassing, the fact that he could no longer read or the fact that he was stood in a dress in front of a class of little kids. His mother had insisted on dressing him in the most girly dress in his closet, with frilled sleeves and a ruffled hem. He tried to protest that he was a boy, but his mother just laughed, telling him that he wasn't a boy like Daddy or his brother Chuck.

He was a little girl.

"Sometime today, Nichola." The teacher tried to hurry along the nervous student. She was anxious to get to lunch early, as she had a hot date with the new gym teacher.

Nick nervously bit his lower lip, running his tongue across the few teeth he had left, trying to read the scruffy words written on the page. From the few words he recognised, he guessed that this report was written about the cabin his father took them to over the summer. The cabin belonged to his father's grandfather, handed down through the generations as a holiday home.

It was the last holiday they had as a family.

Chuck and Marissa reluctantly joined them with their three year old son. His oldest sister Lillian happily left her studies at law school to join them, having never wanted to go in the first place. She had always wanted to write. She always had a book in her hands as a child, but her father said that writers never amount to anything, and he wouldn't allow his oldest daughter to throw her life away like that. Instead, she was throwing her life away in law school. She eventually graduated, joining her father at the DA's office, where she met her husband, Anthony. Once they were married, Lillian gave up the career she never wanted in the first place, so she could raise their children.

Something she was still doing now, in the real world anyway.

What should have been the best vacation they were going to have as a family, was really the worst though. Chuck and Marissa were fighting constantly, annoying their mother and father, as they should have sorted all of this out by now. Lillian was constantly arguing with their father, crying out by the old oak tree because he wasn't listening to her, and Nick had spent most of the time in the middle of it, wishing he was at home, rather than on vacation with them.

He did have a happy childhood.

There were just parts of it that he'd rather forget about.

When the bell went for lunch, he sighed in relief, as he wouldn't have to read the fake story he had written about a fantasy vacation. He remembered that he wrote about a holiday he wished he could have had, rather than the one he really did have. After his older siblings went off to college, getting on with their lives, holidays in the Stokes house actually became more fun.

The way they were supposed to be.

It seemed that after a certain age, their father stopped giving them love and attention, pressuring them to do great things that they didn't want to do, making everybody miserable.

Nick almost wished that he could stay a kid forever, just so he could keep receiving the love and attention he had never gotten the first time around from his father. Being a girl around his father wasn't so bad; he just didn't want to be a girl fulltime.

But it looked like he was stuck.

* * *

><p>"Mr and Mrs Stokes." Greg greeted the concerned parents in the hall, wishing he had worn a clean shirt, as he was starting to smell. Not exactly the ideal first or second impression on the parents. "They've taken Nick through to do some more tests. His temperature is spiking again or something." He tried to remember what the doctor had told him a few hours ago, hoping that it wasn't obvious that he had been crying a few before Nick's parents arrived.<p>

"I remember you." Mrs Stokes recognised his face, after shaking the young man's trembling hand. "Greg... Sanders, right? You were at the lab when our Nicky was kidnapped." She looked round at her husband, whispering something that jolted his memory too. "You've been here all week with him?" Jillian Stokes turned back to Greg, smiling as the young man nodded his head. "Thank you." She took hold of his hand again, gripping it tightly in her own bony little hand. "Nicky's never liked hospitals, not since the day he was born. I'm glad somebody was here for him."

Greg gave her a nod, feeling as though Mr Stokes was making judgements about him in his head, from the suspicious look on his face. "It's okay, Mrs Stokes. I really didn't mind. He's always been there for me when I was in the hospital."

"I remember." The woman nodded, remembering her son calling home, upset after his best friend had been beaten to a bloody pulp in an alley. She looked round him as she saw a bed being wheeled their way, holding her hand over her heart as she realised that it was her son. She took a step back with her husband, glad to see that there weren't any severe injuries to her son's body this time, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

When Mr and Mrs Stokes stepped into the room to see their son, Greg decided to stay out in the hall, letting them see their son and talk with his doctor, alone. He felt a little bit like an outsider in the hall, but he tried not to let it get to him.

He walked towards the nurse's station, glad to see that Amy was on shift again. She was the oldest nurse at the desk, in her mid forties, but she had bright sparkling blue eyes, making her look younger than her actual age. "Hi, Greg." She glanced over her pink framed glasses at him. "That Nicky's parents?" She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, pocketing the pen she had been using to write in a patients chart. "I guess that they don't know about the two of you?"

Greg shook his head, resting against his elbow on her station. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell them either."

"Sure." Amy winked at him, walking round her station towards him. "You know, my son was terrified to come out to me, even though I had known since he was fourteen. I found some magazines of men under his mattress, and I always caught him staring at this cute boy at the school gate." She giggled at the memory of her blushing son, denying any feelings for the boy he openly stared at every day. "Anyway, he was terrified to tell me something that I already knew about him. A mother always knows her children. We know our children better than anyone."

Greg looked over his shoulder at Nick's mother, whispering, "If she does know, she's seriously in denial about it. Just _please_ don't say anything." He turned back to Amy. "I don't want his parents to know any of this. Not while he's like this."

"I understand." She gently tapped the back of his hand. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep? And change your shirt. No offense, but I can smell you from across the room."

Greg giggled softly, anxiously stuffing his hands into his pockets as he turned more serious, "When will the results from his latest MRI come through?"

"As soon as I know anything, I'll let you know." Amy assured him, grabbing another patient's chart from her desk. "Don't worry about Nicky, sweetie. We'll take good care of him."

* * *

><p>"F... L... O... W... E... R." The nervous child hesitantly spelled out the word, relieved to see his father smiling, meaning he got it right.<p>

"Good girl, next one is... Orange." His father looked away from him, spotting his teenage daughter coming off the stairs in a flared miniskirt and cropped top. He dropped the list of words he had been reading out to Nick, making his was over to Ronnie in the hall. "Just where do you think you're goin'? And dressed like that, do you want people to think you're a prostitute?" He practically spat at her, making Ronnie shiver from the sound of his angry voice.

Nick took a seat on the chair behind him, straightening out his skirt over his legs. He watched his father shouting at his big sister for the way she was dressed, reducing her to tears from the things he was saying. Ronnie hurried back up the stairs to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

His father stood at the bottom of the stairs a moment, before he returned to Nick in the kitchen, anxiously brushing his fingers through the stubble on his chin. His father's hair was just starting to grey at the early age of forty five. The men in Nick's family didn't usually go grey until their late fifties, but his father was an early exception.

"Sweetheart, go and practice the rest of these in your room." He handed the book over to his youngest daughter, lifting her from the chair to send her on her way. Nick hurried towards the stairs, stopping at the bottom to watch his father pouring himself a drink. He had seen Brass doing the same thing at the office many times, but he had never actually witnessed it from his own father.

"Bill, you can't be drinkin' right now, you still have to drive us tonight." His mother stepped into the room, taking the bottle away from her husband. Nick looked at her dress through the banister, suddenly feeling his heart slowing inside of his chest. Now he realised why the day seemed so familiar to him.

It was about to become the worst day of his life.

Again.

He looked round at the time, realising he still had time to change the outcome of this day. Vicki had already left for her prom. Her twin sister, Ronnie was jealous that she was going out tonight, so she had arranged to meet some of her friends, which explained the tarty clothes she was wearing. Gwen was away on her first school trip at the age of thirteen. She had been excited about it for months.

Any minute now, Kayla was going to run down the stairs, begging her parents to let her go over her friends. Their usual babysitter, Kristen was going to call shortly after that, apologising to the Stokes' for not being able to come over tonight, because her mother had been rushed into the hospital after an allergic reaction to nuts; prompting his parents to hire a last minute babysitter for Nick, so they could still go out for his mother's big business dinner party.

Nick looked up the stairs as he heard Kayla coming down them, feeling his entire body trembling as he was right.

Kayla jumped off the stairs, hurrying into the kitchen to begin her begging.

"No!" Nick ran into the room, after hearing his mother reluctantly agreeing to let Kayla go over to her friends. "You can't leave me alone!" He shrieked in his girlish voice.

"Nicky sweetheart, Kristen's gonna be here any minute now. You won't be alone." His mother giggled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'm gonna go and find some earrings." She looked at her husband sat at the table. "Kayla, you'll need a jacket if you're..." She paused midsentence, hearing the phone ringing.

Nick clung to her side as she answered it, knowing exactly who it was going to be. He had to make things different this time. He didn't want to live through the same trauma again. Even if he was a girl now, he didn't even want that girl anywhere near his house.

"Oh... oh sweetheart... I'm sorry to hear that." His mother spoke into the phone. "Yes, I understand... no, don't worry about it. You just worry about your mother dear... alright. Take care. Goodbye sweetheart, I'll call you tomorrow to see how she's doin'." She nodded into the phone, slowly putting it down. "That was Kristen, her mother's in the hospital. She can't make it tonight."

"Looks like we'll have to cancel." His father looked almost a little relieved.

"We can't miss it, Bill." His wife sighed, searching through her phone book to find someone else. "Honey, don't hold onto Mommy so tight." She pried her youngest's arms from around her.

"C'mon, Princess." His father suddenly slipped his hands beneath his arms, lifting him off the ground into his embrace. He pecked a kiss to Nick's cheek, holding him against his chest with his strong arms beneath his legs.

Nick would have found the embrace slightly more comforting, if he wasn't aware of what was about to happen to him. He knew it would be different this time, considering he was the opposite gender, but he didn't want her in the same house as him, knowing what she had done to him before.

"Daddy, can you and Mommy stay home?" Nick begged him, still not used to the sound of his girly voice or calling his father Daddy again, but it just came naturally. "Please Daddy; I don't want you to go. Don't leave me alone."

"We're not goin' to leave you alone." He brushed his daughter's hair back behind her ear, admiring how much like her mother she looked. "We'd never leave you alone." He took a seat on the sofa with his daughter in his arms, gently smoothing his palm up and down her small back. "How about I stay home with you? I never really like these dinner parties anyway. We can stay up and watch the Cisco kid." He smiled as his daughter's worried little face, immediately spread into a wide smile of her own. "Now we just have to convince, Mommy. I could really use your powers of persuasion on this one, Poncho." He used the familiar nickname that Nick hadn't heard in years.

Nick had originally heard that nickname as a boy, making him smile as he remembered that his father did love him when he was a boy, he just didn't show his affection as often as he did now that he was a girl.

* * *

><p>"Cisco."<p>

Greg shook himself awake, hearing a familiar voice in the room. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, realising he had fallen asleep in a chair across the room from where his best friend was sleeping. He realised that the voice he had heard had come from Nick, as he was the only other person in the room. Struggling to his feet, he hurried to Nick's side, lifting his hand from the bed as he saw his fingers twitching for the first time in days.

"Nicky." He brushed his other hand across his sticky forehead. "Nicky, please wake up. You can't stay like this. You have to wake up."

He stayed staring at Nick for the longest moment, waiting for him to wake up, but his movement stopped.

Greg dropped his head to the bed beside Nick, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. "Please," He cried, clutching the older man's hand tightly in his own. "Please wake up. Please. I need you. Please Nicky, wake up."

* * *

><p>Snapping his eyes open at the sound of an alarm, Nick realised that it was time to get up for school. He reached out for his alarm clock to shut it off, realising that his arm was slightly longer. He struggled to sit up, immediately spotting his sister sat across the room from him, brushing out her long brown hair. Kayla dropped her brush as soon as she was done, making her way over to her closet. She looked around fifteen now, making him thirteen. He still wasn't used to sharing a room, much less with a girl. He had always had his own room growing up.<p>

He dropped his head back to his pillow as she started getting dressed, giving her some privacy, even though they were both girls now. He instantly looked down at his chest, sighing in relief as he hadn't developed yet. He was still completely flat chested, bringing him some piece of mind. He didn't want to go through puberty as a girl; it was hard enough the first time around as a boy.

"Nicky, you better be gettin' up." Their mother barged into their room, with her new even shorter hairstyle. "C'mon sweetheart, time for school." She swept back the covers from her youngest, forcing Nick to get out of bed. He wanted to protest like he always used to, but he felt guilty. Being a thirty nine year old man on the inside, he realised that she wasn't just making him get up and go to school to punish him in some way; she was doing it to better his future.

Once their mother left the room, Nick looked through his drawers, trying to find something to wear to school. He couldn't find a single pair of jeans and all his t-shirts were bright colours, with very girly designs. He pulled on a pair of panties first, fully aware of the change to his crotch. Although he had been aware of the fact that something was different down there for a while, he hadn't actually seen it to be sure.

There was no mistaking him as a boy anymore.

Everything was gone.

He dressed himself in a light pink button down shirt, with a pinafore dress over the top. His mother insisted that he wear tights, bright pink ones, as it was cold out, but he really didn't like the feel of them on his legs. To humiliate him further, she tied his hair into braided pigtails either side of his head, looking nothing like a thirteen year old girl, but more like a six year old in a taller body.

When he got to school though, he realised that most of the girls his age looked pretty much the same as him. They weren't as mature as the thirteen year olds from his time; they were still just little girls.

Nick wasn't quite sure where he was supposed to go first, so he wandered around for a while, wondering who his friends were now. He saw the group of boys who used to be his friends the first time around, but he felt a little scared to even approach them.

"Nicky!" A girl ran up beside him, dressed in denim shorts and a button down shirt with flowers printed over it. He had no idea who she was, but she clearly knew him. He tried to follow her hyperactive babbling, hearing her rambling about some sort of fight that went on after school yesterday. "C'mon, Melissa's waitin' for us in the courtyard."

"Melissa?" He questioned her, remembering the name. He looked around at the walls of the school, surprised that he remembered where most of the classrooms were. The girl dragged him out to the courtyard, where a second girl was chaining up her bike, with her wavy red hair tied into a ponytail.

As she turned around to face them, Nick felt as though he recognised her face, but he had no idea who she was. Her teeth were covered with metal as she smiled, but she still looked quite pretty. She was wearing dark jeans, with a colourful stripy t-shirt over the top. Unlike Nick or the other girl beside him, Melissa's chest had actually started to develop, quite noticeably through her t-shirt.

As soon as she started talking, Nick immediately recognised her. It was obvious. Melissa Harding. They had been going to school together since Nick turned ten. When they both turned sixteen, Melissa had figured out that Nick was gay. In an attempt to prove her wrong, Nick lost his virginity to her when they were seventeen, but it only proved her right. They remained friends though, even went to prom together, where Melissa ended up bent over the toilet seat, spewing her guts up all night, until she finally passed out.

Now that he was a girl like her though, he knew that it was going to be a very different friendship.

For one thing, Nick certainly wasn't going to lose his virginity to her. He gulped as he watched a boy walking past them, realising that the only way he was going to lose his virginity this time, was to a boy. Something he would have welcomed when he was a boy himself, but not like this.

He didn't think he could ever trust a boy while he was like this.

* * *

><p>Rounding the corner of the hall in the hospital, Gil Grissom anxiously brushed his fingers through his prickly beard, spotting two familiar faces in the hall. He cleared his throat as he approached them, giving them a slight smile as they looked up at him. "Hello, I don't know if you remember me..."<p>

"Gil Grissom." Mrs Stokes climbed to her feet, extending her hand towards him. "Of course, you saved our son the last time we were here. I don't know if I ever thanked you for that."

"No need." He shook his head, greeting both of the parents with a hand shake. "How's he doing?" He pointed towards Nick's room in the hospital; where he could see the man he had always seen as a son, fast asleep in the bed he had been lying in for nearly a week now.

"No change." Mr Stokes spoke softly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "They think that some kind of virus is attackin' his system, somethin' they've never seen before. He's runnin' a fever. His temperatures spikin'. And there's nothin' they can really do, because they don't know what it is."

Grissom nodded slightly, brushing his hand across his chin. "Can I..."

"Of course." Nick's mother nodded, knowing what he was going to ask. She stepped aside to let him in the room, spotting Nick's doctor walking through the hall. She decided to hurry after him, demanding to know what they were going to do to help her son.

Slowly stepping into the room, Grissom tilted his head to the side, seeing somebody asleep against the side of Nick's bed. He couldn't see who it was from his position by the door, so he took another step closer, smiling slightly at the sight of Greg asleep on the chair beside Nick's bed, with his head resting against the bed. He cautiously stepped around the bed so he wouldn't startle him, gently placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Mom?" Greg asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"No, it's not Mom." Grissom smiled, pulling up a chair beside him. "It's me, Greg. Have you been here this whole time?"

Feeling his back click as he struggled to sit up, Greg gave him a slight nod, surprised to see his old boss here after all this time. "What are you doing here? I called Sara like four days ago."

"We were in New York." He defended himself, looking at Nick asleep on the bed. "Sara wanted to be here, but she can't fly while she's..." He stopped himself from saying it out loud, watching Greg's lips spreading into a smile. "Of course she told you, she tells you everything." The man rolled his eyes. "The baby books all say that it's perfectly fine for her to fly at this stage, but she didn't want to risk it. She told me to stay for as long as Nick needs."

"They think he's gonna be out for a while." Greg climbed to his feet to stretch his legs out, deciding to check his phone for messages now that he was standing. "Did you go to the lab yet?"

"Nope, I wasn't exactly planning on it either." Grissom adjusted himself to a comfier position in his seat, licking his lips. "Catherine told me about the change over that you guys have had. She also told me that you were planning on moving to San Francisco to work in a lab." He looked round at the younger man. "Have you put your plans on hold to stay here with Nick?"

"You're not my father, Grissom." He smiled at him, dropping back into his seat. "You're not allowed to judge me on my decisions. I'm not going anywhere until I know Nick is okay, and San Francisco isn't looking that great anymore. I think I'd rather just stay here."

"For the rest of your life?" Grissom asked a question that stumped Greg. He wasn't quite sure how to answer it, so he just responded with a shrug, knowing that he'd be able to make future plans, once he knew that Nick was okay.

* * *

><p>Mucking out the horses stables, Nick gave out a heavy sigh, brushing back his hair with the back of his hand. He was starting to get really annoyed with this long hair business.<p>

Realising his long hair had come out of the ponytail he originally tied it in; he stopped what he was doing, wiping his hands down his overalls to retie it. As he wiped his hands down his overalls though, he paused, feeling something very different. He appeared to be a little taller, but that wasn't it. He dropped the tools from his hands, taking a step back into the light to take a closer look at himself.

He was still a girl, that part was pretty much fixed, but he wasn't the same girl he was before.

He was maturing.

He cringed, realising just how much he had changed. He hadn't noticed it before, but his hips were wider. He could feel the wider bones of his hips resting against the top of his panties, but that wasn't what was really bothering him. It was his chest. Two mounds of flesh to be specific. Breasts. His breasts, and he didn't like the feel of them one bit.

He knew this day would come eventually, but he didn't expect it to be just a few days after he had gotten out of diapers. He felt as though he was about to cry. He had already matured into an adult male; he didn't want to mature into an adult female.

It wasn't fair.

"Sweetheart, you're not eatin'." His mother startled him out of his thoughts at the dinner table. He had been thinking about how different his life was going to be now. Being a girl before he matured wasn't so bad, it was just like being a boy really, with the exception of long hair, but now he was really different.

Everything in his life would change now.

"Yeah, I'm not really hungry." He pushed his plate away from him. "May I be excused?" He remembered his manners, waiting for his parents to nod, before he climbed to his feet. He was still dressed in his denim overalls and a t-shirt, but he didn't feel comfortable in them from the change of his body beneath them. He made his way to his room to change, feeling a slight pain in his stomach. He thought that maybe it was just because he hadn't eaten anything, but he didn't feel hungry.

As much as he hated the new clothes in his wardrobe, he changed into a more comfortable skirt and v-neck t-shirt, making him blush as the protrusions on his chest stuck out even more. He pulled on one of his larger sweatshirts, dropping onto his bed. His stomach started bothering him again. A little more painful this time, more like cramps than hunger pains.

For the next few hours, the cramps seemed to come and go. They got to the point where he was in tears for a moment, suddenly feeling stupid as the pain went as quickly as it came. He had no idea what was going on, but it was freaking him out to say the least.

He decided to go to the bathroom to relieve his bladder, wondering if that was the cause of his cramps. Sitting down on the toilet, he immediately felt his heart stop in his chest, seeing the reddish brown stain in his underwear.

He screamed.

Was he dying?

He held his stomach, wondering if there was something seriously wrong with his kidneys or something. He tried to think of all of the possibilities, but he was too terrified to think straight.

"Honey." There was a panicked knock at the door. Nick couldn't answer it though. He was frozen to the toilet, freaking out as the blood poured out of where his urine should have been coming out of. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" His mother knocked again, sounding more panicked this time. "Open the door, Nicky." She tried the handle, but it was locked. "Sweetheart, open the door so I know you're alright." She stepped back as the door opened, seeing her tearful little girl wiping her eyes with some toilet paper. "What's the matter, honey?"

"I'm bleedin'." He cried, too panicked to think straight. He let his mother wrap her arms around him, crying into her chest.

"From where, baby?" She realised the toilet had just been flushed, feeling like a terrible mother for misinforming her child. As Nick pointed towards his crotch, it suddenly dawned on him why he was bleeding from there.

_How could I have been so stupid?_ He thought to himself, pulling back from his mother, suddenly feeling more embarrassed then he was scared.

From the first moment that he realised he was a girl, he never thought of all the things he would have to go through now. He was hoping that the boob fairy would miss him and just let him grow up flat chested. He didn't expect his body to change shape.

And he certainly wasn't expecting his period.

His mother sat him down on the bath tub, giving him the talk about the birds and the bees, explaining to him where the blood was coming from, making him feel even more embarrassed. She explained that now he was maturing into a young lady, for several days out of month he would bleed, preparing his body to carry a baby.

She toned down parts of her speech to suit his age, before she reached under the sink for a box of tampons and another of maxi pads, giving him his first lesson. She figured he was too young to try tampons first, so she handed him a maxi pad, staying in the bathroom with him to make sure that he put it in the right spot.

Feeling completely mortified, Nick tugged his panties into place at his hips, fully aware of the large pad between his thighs. He felt as though he was in a diaper again, only this one was absorbing blood.

Then his mother pulled him into her arms again, proudly patting him on the back, as she whispered, "I'm so proud of my little girl... or little lady should I say, you are fourteen now. You're growin' up so fast."

He cringed as he heard her say that, never having heard it when it was the other way around. How could someone be proud of him for having his first period? He saw it as more of a death sentence then something to be proud of. He didn't want to bleed for the rest of his life.

What woman in their right mind would?

* * *

><p>Standing at the doorway, Nick watched his mother pressing kisses to her latest grandchild's forehead, carefully lowering her into the crib her husband had set up in the guest room. When baby Skye realised that she was on her back, being left alone to sleep though, she started fussing. His mother ignored the baby's heart breaking cries, making her way towards the door, where her youngest daughter was stood.<p>

"Okay Nicky, my numbers on the fridge. Ronnie's number is on the fridge too, along with her husband's, your father's office and the neighbour. I'll be gone, two hours... tops."

"Mom, I _can_ look after a baby." He responded with the same line he said the first time around, remembering how easy it was to babysit for Skye. He was sixteen years old now. He was dressed in a skirt and button down blouse. He could feel some tight material under his blouse, along with the presence of his increasingly large breasts, the growth he had been dreading since he woke up in this nightmare world.

He felt kind of awkward stood in front of his mother with breasts on his chest, but in this world, it was completely natural for him to have them, so she wasn't at all bothered. He followed his mother down the stairs as she gave him some more instructions, still hearing Skye crying her eyes out, having been left alone upstairs.

"Okay, you know where the diapers are." His mother put some lipstick on, grabbing her coat from by the door. "I showed you how to change them, right?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Alright." She giggled, pecking a kiss to her daughter's cheek. "Honey, you should really wear those new bras I got you, you've out grown Kayla's old ones."

Nick wriggled uncomfortably, feeling his cheeks flushing from the awkward conversation. And he was only sixteen, how could he have outgrown his sister's hand-me-down bras already? He didn't want to get bigger than her.

"Bye, sweetheart."

"Bye." Nick waved his mother off, waiting until she was at the end of the drive, before he pushed the door shut. He hurried up the stairs, feeling his chest uncomfortably bouncing with each step, something he definitely wasn't used to, on his route to the guest bedroom. He followed the screams of his niece, Skye, carefully lifting the little girl from the crib into his arms. "Shh, it's okay." He whispered softly, smoothing his hand across her little back, holding her against his chest.

He used to babysit for Skye all the time as a teenager, right up until he left for college, when she turned six. She was the whole reason that he wanted kids in the first place. He couldn't wait to babysit her again. Most sixteen year old boys got excited over nude magazines or dates with hot girls, but he got excited to babysit his favourite niece.

Skye settled as soon as she was in Nick's arms, quietly sucking her fingers into her mouth, curiously looking up into his eyes. Nick smiled down at her, gently patting his hand against the padding of her diaper.

He definitely didn't miss those. It seemed like only days ago that he was still wearing them himself.

He was glad that was over.

For the first time since he woke up in this strange new life, he felt as though the change was actually for a good reason. Besides the periods and boobs of course, but other women managed to get used to them, so he figured that he could too.

There was one advantage now that he was like this; he could really have a baby of his own in a normal relationship. He could finally raise a family with a husband, something he had been trying to do for a long time now.

Whatever was happening to him, he was looking forward to the outcome, rather than regretting all the mistakes he made in his previous life. This life may have come with a few disadvantages, but what life didn't?

At least this way he could be considered normal. Something he had been seeking for a long time.

* * *

><p><strong>Nick's freak out about his period might have been a little over-the-top for a 14 year old girl, but he's really a 39 year old man on the inside. Try to imagine a man of that age having his first period :D<strong>

**You'll eventually find out what's really happening to Nick, don't worry. More on the way soon.**

**Please Review!**

**~ Holly**


	5. Chapter 5: Love of my Life

**Chapter Five: Love of my Life**

In the darkness and silence of Jack Mayfield's beat up old Mustang, Nick started to feel more than a little nervous. He had already been out on a date with the boy, but it was only out bowling then pizza, with all their friends. He had known Jack since kindergarten, becoming best friends with him as a boy, but now that he was a girl, they never really met.

Until now of course.

This was their first date at sixteen, and even though it was forbidden by his father, Nick had accepted a ride home from Jack in his car. Nick wasn't even sure why he even agreed to go on a date with Jack. He knew it was going to be awkward as hell, considering Nick had all these memories of him as a boy, but he liked him. He got his stomach in knots, kind of like the feeling he used to get around Greg.

As Jack reached for the shifter, he took a glance at Nicky's exposed thighs. She looked really hot in a short skirt. When he stole another glance, Nicky caught him this time, nervously pulling down her skirt to cover more of her legs.

Nick blushed as he looked out the window, allowing a smile to spread across his lips. He was really starting to like this normal dating world. It was so much easier than it was before. He could talk to boys, flirt with them and have boys flirt back to him, all in public, without anyone giving him a second glance.

"Wait... don't pull up right outside the house." Nick stopped him, not wanting his father to see him getting out of a boy's car; otherwise he'd be in big trouble.

Jack stopped just before the drive to Nicky's house, hidden by the neighbour's large hedge from any of the windows. "Here we go." He turned off the ignition to his car, immediately licking his lips as he turned to face Nicky beside him. "So um, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Nick nodded, shyly smiling as he watched the lust filled teenager licking his lips again. He knew that he was fishing for a kiss, but Nick wasn't sure if he _could_. Knowing that this would be his very first kiss in this life, he was both nervous and excited, just like a real teenage girl.

As Jack moved closer, Nick felt his heart pounding against his breast. He held the gorgeous boy's gaze, feeling as though he was about to melt. Just as he was about to speak, Jack leaned in closer, softly brushing his lips against Nick's. He instantly parted his lips, feeling Jack's upper lip in his mouth. He closed his eyes as Jack's tongue nudged its way into his mouth, sliding against his own inside his mouth.

Jack wasn't the best kisser, but he was sixteen. Nick's last kiss was with an experienced thirty five year old man.

Of course Greg was the better kisser.

* * *

><p>"Sweetheart, come in here please!"<p>

Nick heard his mother calling out to him, stepping off the stairs into the hallway. He gave out a sigh, as he was running late as it was. He had spent ages trying to pick out his clothes for his second date with Jack. He got Kayla to do his makeup and hair for him, but the outfit was definitely the hardest part. He eventually settled on a gold coloured dress with a lace front, covering most of his chest that came down to his knee, just to keep his father from having a heart attack.

Reluctantly, he stepped into the front room, seeing his mother and father sat on the sofa, with serious looks on their faces. When his father motioned towards the chair in front of them, he knew that they wanted to give him a serious talking to. He dropped into the chair, waiting to hear what they were going to talk to him about.

"We didn't want to tell you this yet, we wanted to wait until you were a little older, but it's obvious that it can't wait." His mother started, looking very nervous for the first time. "As you know, your father and me are dead set against sexual activity before marriage."

Nick gulped hard, realising what this was about. It was awkward enough the first time around. He didn't want to go through it again.

"However, we're not idiots." His father took over, "We know that tellin' you to save yourself for marriage is like... tellin' a dog not to chase a stick if you throw it. So," He looked round at his wife, sucking in a deep breath, before he spoke again, "In my opinion, before eighteen is far too young. In an ideal world, you would wait until you were married to have sex, but this is far from an ideal world. We just want to know if you're sexually active. Don't worry about tellin' us the truth, we won't be mad, we just want you to be honest with us."

Nick nodded, clasping his hands together in his lap. "I'm... not." He answered, catching both of his parents sighing in relief. "You really don't need to explain everythin' to me, I've... I mean, they talk to us about it at school." He stopped himself before he said '_I've already had sex as a man'._

His mother giggled softly, rolling her eyes. "Honey, what they teach you at school and what really happens are completely different things. For starters, they only teach you about your body parts, not about sex, STD's, pregnancy and all that. Sex is complicated, and it's not for children."

"I'm not a child." Nick pointed out to her.

"You'll always be _our_ child." His father spoke softly, surprised at how grown up his youngest daughter was already. In the blink of an eye his little girl had matured into a beautiful young woman. And he wasn't ready to let her go. "We're not here to warn you off sex, just to answer your questions and give you some... advice." He cringed at the sound of the word, wishing he could just keep her as his innocent little girl for as long as possible.

"On protectin' yourself." His mother finished his father's point. "Just because we're tellin' you this, it doesn't mean that you have to actually go out and do it though."

Nick nodded, unable to stop a smile from spreading across his lips. He awkwardly listened to his parents take on the sex talk, praying for it to end soon, otherwise Jack might think that he had stood him up.

"Look, you guys... I mean... Mom, Dad, you really don't need to go through all of this." He finally stopped them. "I know about all of it. Believe me when I tell you, I don't want to get pregnant and become an unwed mother, not now anyway. The pregnant part, not the unwed mother part. I want to go to college, get a job... and move to Las Vegas."

His parents immediately looked at him wide eyed. "Vegas?" His mother shrieked. Nick realised that he probably shouldn't have told them that part, but if he didn't move there, he would never get the chance to meet Greg. "Why on earth would you want to move to Vegas?" She hissed the foul tasting word in her mouth. She hated the city and she wasn't about to let her little girl go there.

"I..." Nick looked down at his hands, trying to think of an explanation. "I like the city."

"You've never even been there." His father gave him a confused look.

"I want to though. I'm not movin' there for a long time yet. I still wonna go to college and everythin', before I eventually get married." He climbed to his feet, straightening out his dress. "Can I go now? Jack's waitin' for me."

"Honey," His mother climbed to her feet. "You know what a boy his age is thinkin', right?"

"Yes, even if he wants to, I'm not goin' to let him." He assured her. "I'm just datin' him. I'm not an idiot either. You think I want to be forced down the aisle like Marissa was to Chuck?" He looked between his mother and father, who were surprised that their daughter remembered that, being only three at the time. "I want to get married, _eventually_, but not like that. I'm not goin' to do anythin' that could interrupt my future."

"Okay, honey." Although they were still a little frightened of their child growing up, Mr and Mrs Stokes smiled at their daughter, surprised to see how grown up and mature she was already. "Have fun on your date." His mother wrapped her arms around Nicky's shoulders for a quick hug, pecking a kiss to her cheek. His father did the same, holding her for a little longer than her mother did, almost too scared to let her go.

When he finally did, the man looked as though he was about to cry.

Nick started to reconsider going on his date for his parents' sake, but he was still too excited to see Jack. He slowly started to leave the room, grabbing his jacket from by the door. As he pulled open the front door, he caught sight of his mother embracing his father in a hug, trying to comfort him. Nick smiled widely, realising just how differently his father treated the girls in his family.

He pulled the door shut behind him, definitely preferring his life like this.

* * *

><p>Sleepily rubbing his eyes open, Greg stumbled down his hall towards the kitchen, smelling the strong scent of bacon wafting through the apartment. He followed the scent into the kitchen, surprised to see that his mother was still here, and cooking him breakfast. "Good Morning, Sweetheart." She turned to face him. "I just brewed some coffee. I've got pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs. Your father just ran out for some more milk."<p>

"You guys stayed here?" He looked at his pull out couch, seeing it had been neatly folded away with the pillows and blankets stacked on a chair across the room. "You shoulda said, I coulda slept on the sofa and you coulda had my bed."

"Well that wouldn't have worked, you were already asleep in it." She giggled softly, serving the bacon onto a plate, before she handed her son a hot mug of coffee. "Don't worry, that pull out couch isn't the most comfortable thing, but it did us fine. Do you want me to drive you to the hospital later?"

"Yeah, if you want to that is." Greg dropped onto one of the stools around his breakfast bar, setting the hot cup of coffee from his hands down in front of him. "After I fell asleep, did Nick's parents call?"

"Yes, I spoke to his mother." She licked her fingers after taste testing the bacon. "There's no change. His fever's gone down, and they're not too worried about his heart anymore."

"What?" He looked at her wide eyed. "What happened to his heart?"

"Oh," She realised she had missed out a part. "Well, his heart rate increased last night, but they gave him something to get it back to normal pace. I can't remember what she said it was, but he's alright now. She called last night, and again about an hour ago. Her husband's gone back to Texas, but he's flying back at the end of the week."

"He's really okay?"

"Yes." She took hold of her son's hands. "He's doing fine, sweetheart. As for you, your lease is up in three days. Did you even think about where you were gonna live?"

"I _was_ gonna move." He reminded her, looking around his apartment that he hadn't even started to pack yet. "I don't wonna go though. I don't even think that I have a job in San Francisco anymore."

"You don't seem that disappointed." She noticed, taking a seat opposite him. "I have to say that I for one am glad. Even though you'd be closer to home, I don't want you to do something that you're not happy doing, honey."

Greg nodded slightly, circling his hands around his warm coffee mug. He didn't know what made him happy anymore. He had been feeling pretty empty since Nick fell into his coma two weeks ago. "Mom, I know that you probably already know, but I feel as though I should tell you." He looked towards her. "I love Nick. Not just as a best friend, but... I love him so much, and it's killing me seeing him like this."

"I figured it out." She smiled at him. "A long time ago actually."

"How? I've only known for... two weeks." He dropped his head to the counter, holding his hands over his head. "It seems like everybody knew but me, now I've missed my chance. Why does this have to happen now?"

"Oh, sweetheart." His mother climbed to her feet, making her way round the counter to wrap her arms around her crying child. "You haven't missed your chance." She smoothed her hand up and down his back. "He's not gone, honey. You two still have plenty of time to work this out. Don't cry, sweetheart." She pulled back, gently wiping away the tears from his cheeks. "He's going to be okay. Look at what he's already been through. This is nothing to him. You should have some more faith in him, sweetheart."

Greg smiled slightly, looking over his shoulder as his apartment door opened. "Hi, Dad."

"Hi." Daniel smiled at his son, watching him wiping away his tears. He looked towards his wife, realising they had already had their heart to heart. He handed the grocery bag from his hands over to his wife, deciding to hug his son anyway, hating seeing his son so upset.

* * *

><p>After putting his two year old niece to bed, Nick hurried down the stairs; rounding the corner into the front room, where Jack was waiting with the film they were watching on pause. Nick dropped onto the sofa beside him again, straightening out the hem of his skirt. "She asleep?" Jack asked, taking a look at his girlfriend's figure in the dimly lit front room.<p>

"Yeah, she's out like a light." Nick nodded, feeling his body shivering under Jack's gaze. He started to wish that he had never invited Jack over, knowing full well that it was forbidden by both his parents. If they came home early and found him here, Nick didn't even want to think what kind of trouble they would both be in. "Do you... wonna drink or somethin'?"

"No, I'm good." Jack put the film on play, dropping the remote to the sofa beside him. He took his feet off the coffee table, struggling to sit up a little straighter beside his girlfriend. He gave out a yawn, dropping his arm to Nicky's shoulders, making her shiver under his touch.

Nick was about to speak again, trying to take the teen's horny mind off what he had planned, but Jack's actions were quicker than him.

Jack leant forwards, bringing their mouths together. They began kissing, their moist, warm tongues slowly meeting in their mouths. Jack pulled back slightly, long enough to look into Nick's eyes, making him melt, before his mouth was firmly on Nick's again. When the boy's hand expertly slipped beneath his blouse, working its way upwards though, Nick quickly pushed him back, before his hand reached his breast.

"Jack." He breathed across his lips, feeling pretty vulnerable in his arms. "My folks will be home any minute."

"So?" Jack playfully nipped at his lips, sliding his hand beneath his girlfriend's top again, cupping her breast in his palm.

"So, my father will kill you." As much as he liked the feeling of the boy's hand on his breast, he pried it off, pushing it back towards Jack. "You remember what he did to Kayla's first boyfriend?"

"Right." Jack moved his hand to Nick's hip, lightly brushing their lips together. "C'mon Nicky, we've gotta do somethin'. We've been datin' nearly a year now, and we haven't got past first base."

Nick sighed slightly relieved, but realised that his boyfriend wasn't very happy about it. His last memory of Jack was his first date, but he had a feeling that there had been something in between. There had to of been, he was seventeen after all. "Well... I don't think my father's couch is the best place to do it." He had to admit, it was a lot better than the back seat of his brother's truck, but he still wasn't ready. "Especially when I'm supposed to be lookin' after Skye, what if she wakes up?"

"She won't." Jack turned himself on the sofa, forcing Nicky's thighs apart with his own body, so he was right against his girlfriend's warm chest. "What are you so afraid of? Your folks are always late. Your sister's not comin' home till the mornin' to pick up, Skye." He added to his case, leaning closer. "C'mon Nicky, what's the worst that could happen?"

"My parents walkin' in on us." Nick suggested, shivering at the thought. "It's not that I don't want to... Jack, it's just... kinda bad timin'." He struggled to explain, feeling as though he had a hard on beneath his skirt, even though he knew that was impossible in his new situation.

He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very embarrassed as it felt as though he had wet himself between his legs. He soon realised what it was, blushing an even brighter shade of red. Nick gasped as Jack pressed his lips to his neck, moving his hands beneath his blouse again, touching his large masculine hands to his breasts, causing his nipples to harden.

"Wa-wait... wait, Jack." He pushed him back. "Can we just... wait?" He struggled to contain himself, feeling as though his whole body was on fire from the new sexual pleasure coursing through it.

"Wait?" Jack gave him a deer in headlights look. "Waitin's overrated. Why wait for somethin' that your body is already made to do? All you're gettin' by waitin' is missin' out on one of the greatest experiences of your life."

Nick couldn't help but smile, this teenage boy certainly had a good way of thinking, but Nick didn't feel as though he was ready yet. From what he remembered as a boy, his first time was nothing special. He waited and waited, but the actual event was nothing but a big disappointment.

He didn't want that to happen again.

"I can't." Nick shook his head, prying Jack's hand from his breast, encased in his lace bra. "Not yet, I'm not ready." He pushed Jack back from him slightly. "If you really like me, you'll wait too." He remembered that the first time around, Jack had lost his virginity to Jasmine when he was eighteen, as he had told Nick the next day in school.

They were only seventeen at the moment, meaning it hadn't happened yet and he could be Jack's first. He couldn't wait too long though, up against Jasmine, Nick was pretty ordinary looking. No guy would look at him twice with Jasmine stood beside him.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe my little girl is goin' to her senior prom." Mrs Stokes brushed out her daughter's long hair, removing a hair pin from her sleeve, so she could secure another section of hair into place. "Is Jack comin' here to pick you up?"<p>

"Yeah, he's borrowin' his Dad's car." Nick pulled the front of his dress up slightly, covering more of the fleshy mounds on his chest, suddenly wishing he had chosen a dress with straps, rather than a strapless one. "Gwen, don't do so much." He snapped at his sister, as she applied more blush to his cheeks. "I don't like a lot of makeup."

"You look beautiful." His older sister smiled at him, pushing her younger sister's hands away from her face, so she could finish what she was doing. "I have some heels that will go perfect with this dress. Be right back." Gwen hurried over to her old closet, searching through it for the shoes she had left behind when she left for college. "Here they are. You're a size smaller than me, but they should fit."

"Nicky, stand up straight, honey." Her mother turned her in her arms, admiring her handy work on her hair, before she grabbed a can of stinky hair spray off the desk.

Nick closed his eyes as she started spraying his hair, feeling as though he was about to throw up from the strong stench. "Mom... not so much." He cringed, feeling the spray stinging his eyeballs, clogging his nostrils and sticking to the back of his throat.

She finally stopped, setting the can aside. "There we are. Lipstick." She noticed her daughter's pale lips.

"I don't like that stuff." Nick started to protest, but his mother and sister ignored his protests, getting him to purse his lips together.

"We should have really gotten your ears pierced on your sixteenth." His mother sighed, pecking a kiss to her daughter's cheek. "You look very pretty though, honey." Nick caught sight of himself in the mirror behind her, gulping hard at the girl he saw looking back at him. His last prom, he was wearing a simple tuxedo. This time around, he was wearing an olive coloured dress with a layered skirt, ending just below his knee.

A huge change from the last time.

"Here, sneak these into your purse." Gwen whispered, holding out two packaged condoms to her little sister, without her mother being aware of it.

"No way." Nick blushed, pushing her hand away. His older brother had given him a condom on the night of his prom as a boy, now his sister was giving them to him when he was a girl. Did they just completely ignore their parents' rules for the fun of it? "I'm not takin' em." He refused, knowing he wasn't going to lose his virginity tonight, because he didn't want to.

"Don't be embarrassed." Gwen laughed at her red faced little sister, stuffing them into the cup of Nick's strapless bra instead. "You don't wonna end up pregnant, it's better safe than sorry. And believe me, Jack has thought about it. They all do. On my prom night, Hayden casually suggested that we get a room, one he had already booked in advance mind you..."

"You didn't have to do it." Nick remembered hearing her horror story the first time around. "He told everyone you were a slut anyway, so it didn't work to shut him up."

Gwen looked at her little sister open mouthed, assuming she had heard the rumours. "Oh my god! I thought I had got away from that whole stupid thing. They're still talkin' about it at school? The slut Gwen gave up her virginity because Hayden threatened to call her a slut in front of the whole school?" She suddenly burst into tears, hurrying out of the room.

Her mother watched her go, giving her a confused look, before she turned back to her youngest, returning with some jewellery in her hands. "This necklace was your grandmother's, my mother's and she gave it to me on my weddin' day." She hung it around her daughter neck, securing the clasp, before she set it in place around her daughter's slim collar bone. "I want you to have it now, sweetheart. I usually give you girls somethin' special on your eighteenth birthdays, but you deserve this one for tonight."

Nick looked down at the family heirloom hanging around his neck, feeling a tear in his eye. The necklace wasn't anything special, the gold had faded on both the chain and the cross, if someone else saw it, they would think it was just a bit of tat, but he knew for a fact that this necklace was very special to his mother.

"Oh, don't cry, sweetheart. You'll ruin your makeup." His mother giggled softly, grabbing a tissue to gently wipe beneath her daughter's eyes. "C'mon, your father wants a photo of you before your date arrives."

Nick sighed, remembering that his father wanted a photo of him as a boy too. He ended up taking the picture about ten times, wanting to adjust things in the background, get the light right or adjust his son's bowtie. He really didn't want to go through that torture again, but he had no other choice.

"It's a bit short isn't it?" Mr Stokes looked at the length of his daughter's skirt, stopping himself from cleaning the lens of his camera, in case he snapped it from the shock. He had just been looking at photos of his little girl growing up, seeing her beautiful gapy toothed smile in each of them, expecting to just take another one just like it, but she wasn't a little girl anymore.

She was a grown woman now.

As soon as the photo was taken, Jack picked him up at the time they arranged, driving them both off to their senior prom. They got their photo taken together for the year book, before Jack went off to see if his friends were there, leaving Nick at one of the tables. He looked around for Melissa, his last prom date, seeing her at the punch table with her friends. One of the girls lifted a vodka bottle from her large purse, reminding Nick of how hammered Melissa got. He thought that perhaps he could intervene, spare her from getting lectured by her parents the next day, but he knew that she wouldn't listen to him anyway.

Jack unexpectedly pulled him to his feet a few minutes later, pulling him towards the middle of the dance floor. Nick felt more than a little out of place as the girl in the dance, as he always used to lead. He loved to dance as a guy, even with other guys, he was always the lead. He had dreamed a thousand times of dancing with Greg, sometimes under the stars, or on a moonlit beach, in the light of a fiery red sunset or just on a rooftop of a building.

He had never gotten the chance to though.

After dancing with Jack for two songs, he made his way towards the ladies room, bumping into a woman on the way. He felt as though he had seen her before, but she looked so different dressed in an unusual patterned dress. "Hello, Nick." She winked at him, revealing her bright green eyes that lit up her face.

"Oh my god... it's you." He looked at her wide eyed. "From the bar... Loretta!" He remembered her name, realising she looked exactly the same age as she did then, which was impossible, as everyone else had regressed, why hadn't she? "What are you doin' here? Did you... wait, did you do this to me?" He indicated towards himself. "That beer." He remembered the strange fruity taste from the second beer she had given him. "You did. You did this to me!" He accused her.

"Calm down, Nick. I didn't _do_ anything that you didn't want to happen." Loretta defended herself, folding her arms across her chest, examining the teen in her prom dress. "I have to say though; I am surprised that you picked this. Usually men your age chose to be younger, have a porn star girlfriend... sports car, hot wife... but never this."

"What?" Nick looked at her confused, not sure he was following her.

"I did slip something in your drink." She confessed, smiling as she looked at how much Nick had changed. "It's a... little magic pill, I guess. I saw how down you were, so I slipped it in your drink. My grandmother taught me how to do the spell. It allows the host to change something in their life. I thought that you would pick something that made you happy, but instead, you decided to rewrite your whole history as the opposite gender."

"I did this?" He looked down at himself, slowly lifting his gaze to look Loretta in the eye again. "I don't wonna be a girl though, especially not a teenage girl. I want _my_ life back."

"If that were true, you'd be back in your life." Loretta spoke softly, taking a step closer towards him. "I just slipped you the pill, you chose what happened. Clearly your subconscious wanted this to happen, something that you weren't even aware of yourself. Maybe you thought it would be easier somehow if you switched genders."

"So... this is real?" He looked around the school. "I have to go through all of this again?"

Loretta nodded slightly. "Only because you want it to happen though, cutie. If you wanted to be a thirty nine year old, single, gay guy again, the magic would take you back there. Maybe this is what you've always wanted; you just never knew it yourself."

"Wait, you can't just leave me here." He stopped her from walking away from him. "If I rewrite my history like this, doesn't it change the future... like a butterfly affect?"

"Technically... yes." She nodded, placing one hand on Nick's shoulder. "Only your life though. Everyone who ever knew you or who you ever met, will always remember you like this. They won't think it's weird that you suddenly show up to work as a girl, as you would have always been like this to them. You can chose to go back, you just have to want it badly enough. Clearly you're happy here, or you wouldn't still be here."

"What about Greg?" He stopped her from leaving again. "I was with him, right before... what's happened to him?"

Loretta sucked in a breath, thinking up a decent lie that would satisfy Nick. "Everyone in your life would have just gone back in time, replaying their lives as they did before. You'll meet them at the same point in your life as you did before, only you'll be a girl this time." She gave him a smile, gently tapping him on the shoulder. "Good luck, cutie. I'll see you around."

Nick watched her walking away, blinking his eyes as few times as she suddenly disappeared into thin air. He thought about what she said, wondering why he would have wanted to turn himself into a girl. Sure it was easier to date guys, but he felt really awkward, like an alien in his own body.

This couldn't be what he really wanted.

If the stupid magic pill really did what he wanted, it would have taken him to the lab, when the whole team were still there, making them feel like a second family to him.

Sighing, he turned towards the ladies room door, feeling a little dizzy as he went through it.

"Hey." He heard a woman's voice calling out to him. He brushed back his long hair from his face, glancing down the familiar hallway to look at them. He widened his eyes, seeing Sara coming towards him, feeling his heart racing inside of his chest. "Grissom just gave me an assignment." She held up the slip in her hands. "You ready?"

Nick looked down at himself, realising he was dressed in a purple blouse and light grey pant suit trousers. "Uh... yeah." He nodded to her, realising that he was a little older now. From the looks of the lab, he would have guessed that he was around twenty seven, shortly after Sara had joined them after investigating Warrick for the wrongful death of Holly Gribbs.

It worked.

He looked around the hall, realising he was no longer at his prom. It really worked. He had some vague memories of the time lapse up until this point, but it still felt like only seconds. Had he been doing this the whole time and just not realised it?

"Give me a sec." He stopped in the hall, seeing the DNA lab.

"Sure. I'll meet you by my car." Sara waved to him, stepping into the elevator to take it down to the garage.

Nick leant against the door of the DNA lab to peer inside, smiling at the sight of Greg's magazines stacked on the side. He pushed open the door, licking his lower lip as he looked at all the familiar things around him.

"Nicky." A voice called out to him from the other side of the room.

Nick quickly spun around, feeling his long hair rearranging itself around his shoulders. He immediately smiled at the sight of the beautiful young man in front of him, feeling his stomach doing a summersault inside of him. "Wow... I forgot how cute you were." He looked at Greg's cute curls of dark brown hair. His pale, young, adorable face and the crazy coloured shirt he was wearing beneath his lab coat.

"Huh?" Greg looked at her confused, deciding to ignore her strange comment. "I don't think I have any evidence pending for one of your cases, so... what are you doing in here?" The younger man made his way to his desk, keeping his beautiful caramel eyes locked on Nicky's that were staring back him so intensely.

"Uh..." Nick stepped closer, anxiously licking his lower lip again. "I... I came to see you." He stammered, feeling very out of place stood like this in front of Greg.

"Me?" Greg cocked one of his cute bushy eyebrows, making Nick feel even more nervous, as he was more adorable then he ever remembered. "Did I process something wrong on one of your cases? I'll double check it if you..."

"Nope." Nick shook his head, resting his shaky hands against the opposite side of Greg's desk. "Actually, I was gonna ask you," He decided not to waste any time this time around. "If you wanted to go out with me?"

Greg widened his eyes, dropping the pen from his hands, before he looked around for the cameras to record his humiliation. "Did Warrick put you up to this? How much was the bet worth?"

"Th-there's no bet." Nick nervously stammered, realising that he and Greg weren't as close in their friendship at this point, so it would be harder to date him. "I just... I eh... forget it." He turned towards the door, avoiding eye contact with Greg as he hurried out into the hall. He met Sara in the garage, heading out to his first crime scene as a girl. He found it pretty much the same, only his hair kept dangling in his face, then he felt self conscious about his chest, as Detective Cavaliere kept looking his way, ogling his breasts.

This wasn't fun anymore, it was just awkward.

Nick loaded his kit into Sara's car, deciding to test out the so called magic that he was in control of again. He closed his eyes, wishing he were a man again. He patiently waited for something to happen, but he could still feel his long hair and breasts, making him annoyed that it didn't work.

It worked the first time.

He climbed into the car, trying to remember what he did differently when he was at his prom. He was thinking about his family at the lab and how much he missed them, then he suddenly appeared there. He tried to do the same with the gender thing, but he was still a woman, and beginning to get a headache from all the concentrating.

When they arrived back at the lab, Nick stepped into the break room to pour himself a coffee, seeing Greg sat at the table with a magazine in his hands. "Nicky." Greg jumped to his feet, tearing his eyes away from his magazine to talk to him. "What I said earlier, I didn't mean it to come out... like that. I just... I'm not used to someone being so direct to me like that, unless it's a joke at my expense."

"Don't worry about it." Nick shook his head, realising that Greg was actually taller than him, now that he was stood so close to him. "Just forget I ever said anythin'." He took a step away, feeling as though he was exposed standing in front of his former best friend like this.

"Wait, Nicky." Greg placed his hands on Nick's arms, stopping him from walking away from him. Nick immediately felt butterflies swirling around in his stomach from Greg's close proximity, feeling as though he was about to faint into his arms. "When you asked me, did you mean like a... date?" He asked, pursing his lips in the usual adorable way that Nick had missed.

Nick nodded slightly, feeling as though this was all wrong. "Don't worry about it though... you're datin'... Annabelle, right?" He remembered the timeline of Greg's girlfriends, based on his hairstyle. "Don't worry about me."

"You keep saying that." Greg flashed his cute smile. "I thought that you... and Warrick."

"ME and Warrick?" Nick laughed, shaking his head at Greg. "No way, we're just friends. You think that he'd really be interested in someone like me?"

"He shows it often enough." The younger man nodded, leaning against the counter beside Nick. "You mean that you're not interested in him, but you like me?" He found that hard to believe, nobody liked him over someone like Warrick. "Why?"

"Why?" Nick repeated the question with a smirk. "Because you're you... you're unique, and interestin'. You have these big soulful eyes that draw people in, so many different smiles that light up a room and..."

He was cut off by Greg's lips on his. Unlike his first kiss to Jack, Greg's kiss was completely innocent. He briefly pressed his fruity lips against Nick's, before he pulled back to quickly apologise.

"I'm so sorry; I don't know why I did that." The flustered young man covered his mouth with his hand, turning paler than the white cabinets behind him.

"Don't apologise." Nick smiled, even though his cheeks were flushed. He panted heavily from the shock of Greg being the one to kiss him first, making his breasts rise and fall with each deep breath. He realised that he had done it himself though. He had been wishing that he could kiss Greg in his head, then Greg abruptly did it without a second thought.

If he really did control everything, then how would he know how Greg really felt about him?

_Who cares?_ Nick shrugged. This was Greg after all.

"I feel like I've known you my whole life, Greg. But this, the timings all wrong."

"What do you mean?" The younger man looked at him confused. "Is it because I'm seeing, Annabelle, because I can easily dump her. We haven't been hanging out that much lately anyway."

"No, I don't want you to change your life for me." Nick lifted Greg's hand from his side, weaving their fingers together as if they had always been together. "You're jumpin' into this... totally blind. If we're gonna do this right, we have to do it slow and steady. The normal way."

"Like... dating?" Greg asked, giving Nick a smile at the sight of more blush creeping into his cheeks. "I've never seen you this nervous before."

"Because... if I screw this up, then I'll lose the best friendship that I'm ever gonna have. I've already screwed it up with the way I asked you." Nick lowered his shaky hands to his sides, feeling as though he was about to cry. "Why is this so hard? It seemed so easy before."

"Before what?"

"Don't worry about it." Nick shook his head, giggling softly through his nervousness. "I'm gonna go before I say anythin' else."

"About that date," Greg stopped him from leaving. "Even though it's kinda freaky that you think _I'm_ the best friend you've ever had, when you've only known me for... less than a year, I'll pick you up after work; we can go for coffee or something."

Nick waved Greg off, making a mental note to stop quoting things that happen in the future, as he could change all of that now, and he didn't want to continue freaking people out. He stepped out into the hall again, bumping into Warrick, surprised at how huge he was in comparison to him now. He immediately lunged forwards to wrap his arms around the man's broad shoulders, having not seen him since he died in Grissom's arms.

"Whoa... Nicky," Warrick placed one hand on her back, feeling her breasts pushing against his chest. "What... what's wrong?" He causally waved to one of the curious lab tech's walking past them, before he gently pushed Nicky back from him. "What was that for?"

"Um... I don't know." Nick brushed his hand beneath his eye, stopping a tear from spilling down his cheek. "I just... I haven't seen you... since all that business with Holly Gribbs." He decided to change the subject, knowing '_since you died'_ would only end up freaking him out. "Wow, you look good. Are you... okay?"

Warrick chuckled softly, anxiously scratching his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, I'm... okay I guess." He shrugged. "What's up with you? You don't usually hug me like that. In fact, the last time you saw me, you shouted at me to stop staring at your arse." He stole another peek, annoyed that Nicky wasn't wearing a skirt today.

"I did?" Nick couldn't remember that for the life of him, but he felt like saying it now, catching Warrick taking another peek. "Dude, enough. You have no idea what you're doin'."

"I think I do." Warrick anxiously licked his lower lip. "So eh... what was the hug for?"

"I don't know, I'm... havin' an off day, I guess." He smiled at Warrick, wishing he could hug him again, but he didn't want to freak him out. He looked at the time, realising he had made Sara wait for over ten minutes now in the morgue for him. "Shoot, I gotta go. It's good to see you, bro."

Warrick watched Nicky hurrying away from him, muttering, "Bro?" In the last two years that they had been working together, Nicky had never called him bro or dude. Maybe if she was a guy it would make sense, but she wasn't.

After work, Nick was surprised to actually see Greg waiting for him, and in a change of clothes too. The fact that he was so eager was a good sign, but Nick had to remind himself that he wasn't the same Greg that he knew. He was a younger version, without all the life experiences and wisdom of the older version that he had grown to love.

After their seventh date out to dinner, that Greg insisted on paying for, Nick got to see the inside of Greg's first apartment. It was just about as messy as the one he had in the future, only a lot smaller and open planned. Nick snooped around while Greg made them some coffee, smiling as he found some photos of Greg as a kid. He had seen a few of them before, but these ones with his cute little Mohawk haircut were new.

"Here." Greg handed him one of the coffee's from his hands, realising what Nicky had been looking at. "My Mom forced me to put those up."

"Course." Nick smiled round at him, smelling the familiar scent of Greg's Blue Hawaiian coffee wafting from his mug. "Mmm, I love this stuff. Blue Hawaiian. How come you don't bring it to the lab?" He knew that he did eventually, as he was always complaining about everyone stealing it.

"I do, just in a flask of my own." Greg grinned, perching himself on the arm of his sofa, while Nick continued to look around. "Nicky... what did you mean the other day, when you said..."

"About Warrick, forget it." Over dinner on their sixth date, Nick had almost let it slip that Warrick dies in a few years. He tried to stop himself from saying it, but it was too late, because Greg never missed a thing. "Seriously, I don't know what I was sayin'. I had just had a bad day..."

"You said that you couldn't bear losing Warrick again." The younger man dropped to the sofa cushions behind him, giving Nicky a curious look. "What did you mean... did you guys... date?"

"No... no way, nothin' like that." He quickly shook his head.

"What did you mean then?"

Nick set his coffee mug onto the coffee table, taking a seat beside Greg on the sofa. "Okay, if I tell you somethin'... do you promise not to freak out?" The younger man gave him a long look, before he finally nodded. Nick lifted Greg's hand from his side, holding it in his own, explaining, "I know some stuff... that's gonna happen, that hasn't already happened yet." Seeing Greg cocking an eyebrow, giving him a confused look, he quickly added, "You know your Nana Olaf is psychic, and your family think that you inherited her ability..."

"I never told you that."

"You did... just in the future." Nick looked into the younger man's caramel brown eyes, smiling as he could see deep into his pure soul. "Everyone thinks that you're this quirky, cute lab tech, but you're so much more than that. You take the field CSI test, and even though you make one mistake, Grissom passes you, because he knows you're goin' to make a great CSI someday. You become fascinated with Old Vegas, writin' a book... that doesn't do as well as you hoped, but it doesn't matter, because you're doin' what you love."

"How do you...?"

"Technically, I've already kind of lived through all of this, but I always had one regret." He squeezed Greg's hand in his own. "You. I was never with you, G. I've loved you for eleven years, but I never said anythin', and I missed my chance because you... you were about to move away. This is my chance to make it right. I know you don't love me yet, you don't realise it until... eleven years later, but I have to try."

Greg looked at him wide eyed, not sure if he was freaked out more because he believed Nicky or freaked out because she was telling him things that hadn't happened yet, but sounded believable. "Wow." He finally spoke, inhaling a deep breath. "So you're... from the future?" He giggled as he said it, realising how ridiculous that sounded. "Is this some kinda prank you CSI's cooked up for the gullible lab geeks?"

"No." Nick looked him in the eye. "And you're not a lab geek. I still see you as the smart, confident CSI, who can hold his own. It's hard to believe how much you've grown in such a short space of time... not now obviously, you're still just the cute, quirky DNA guy."

"You think I'm cute?" He immediately asked, smiling as Nicky's beautiful mouth crinkled into a smile of her own. "So... you really are from the future?"

"Sorta." Nick nodded, leaning back against the sofa cushions beside the younger man. "I know it sounds crazy, but you _have_ to believe me. If anybody would, I know it would be you. You've stuck by me through a lot of crap, and although it hasn't happened yet, you're still the same person. Maybe a little younger and even more adorable, but I know you... really well, Greg."

"You're living through it again... only with me?" The younger man queried, watching Nicky giving him a nervous nod. "Wow, if I had the chance to do my life over again, I wouldn't choose to be with me."

Nick smiled at him, gently placing his hand on Greg's cheek. "I would. You're an amazin' guy. More amazin' then you think."

"I am?" He placed his hand over hers, anxiously biting his lower lip. "So, you already know everything that I'm gonna do, even the people at the lab? Is that why you said you couldn't bear to lose Warrick again? What's happens to him?"

"I don't think I should tell you." He spoke softly. "I didn't exactly get a set of rules when I was thrown into this new life. But I still don't think that you should know." Resting his head against Greg's shoulder, he circled his arms around the younger man's thin body, surprised at how bony he felt beneath his clothing. The Greg he had slept with wasn't exactly fat, but he had muscles on his bones, something Nick preferred, just proving how young Greg really was.

Suddenly missing the real Greg who was a lot more grown up and more caring about him, Nick whispered, "I don't think I'll ever get used to this."


	6. Chapter 6: Past, Present and Future

**Chapter Six: Past, Present and Future**

Awaking the next morning, Nick gave out a wide yawn, slowly rolling over onto his side. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, suddenly feeling as though something was very different. _Not again._ He sighed, looking at his diminished arm. Struggling to sit up, he realised that he was a child again. He thought he had already gone through this stage in his life, why was he back here again?

Realising he was sitting on something cold, he struggled to move on the bed, relieved to be able to get up without his breasts obstructing his path, but he didn't like being smaller again. He crawled back on his bed, unable to get out from the bars all around him. He gulped hard at the sight of the wet sheets beneath him. It wasn't just a small spot either, the wet spot was huge. The sheets, the comforter and his pyjamas were all soaked.

"Uh oh." He spoke softly, brushing his short hair back behind his ears. He looked towards the large double bed across the room, realising he was back in his parents' bedroom again, so he must have been a toddler again.

"Are you awake, sweetheart?" His mother appeared at the door, immediately seeing her child's face turn red. She looked at the bed, guessing what had happened. "Don't worry, honey, I told you that you weren't ready to go to bed without a diaper yet." She lifted her embarrassed little girl into her arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead, relieved she had the sense to buy plastic covered mattresses. "Let's get you bathed before breakfast, shall we?"

While his mother was changing the sheets on his bed, Nick sat in the bathtub in the uncomfortable plastic chair, wondering how he could have turned into a baby again. He skipped ahead from his prom because he wanted to, he didn't want to come back here, he was just starting to get his life together with Greg.

His mother returned to the bathroom to wash him a few minutes later, lifting him from the bath into a warm towel. Nick hated being lifted like a baby again. He was just starting to get used to his adult sized body, why would he get sent back here?

His mother decided to put him in a diaper again, telling him to tell her when he needed to go potty. She lifted a dress down over his head, pulling his little arms through the holes, making him feel weak and powerless again.

His mother carried him downstairs for breakfast, where he was forced to sit in a highchair. He had to admit he was happy to see his brother and sisters again, but he would have preferred a family reunion, not this.

* * *

><p>"Wake up, wake up, wake up," The desperately deprived from sleep young man whispered, resting his head beside Nick's on the bed. He had been with Nick for nearly three days straight now. No sleep, a few bathroom breaks, but he was determined to get him to wake up. As far as the doctors could tell, there wasn't anything wrong with Nick; he was a perfectly healthy thirty nine year old male.<p>

That's what made it so hard to see him like this. There was nothing wrong with him, so why wasn't he awake?

He missed seeing him smiling. Hearing his laugh. Listening to his sexy Texan rasp when he spoke or even walking around.

Greg closed his eyes, feeling a tear running down his cheek. He placed his hand over Nick's broad chest, feeling his strong heart beating against the palm of his hand. "This is all my fault." He whimpered, wrapping his arm around the older man's chest. He still blamed himself for leaving him alone like that, even though people had told him over and over again that it probably still would have happened to him, even if he was there with him when it did.

"Greg." A small voice called from the door.

Greg quickly wiped his eyes with his hands, looking towards the door at the small child stood with crutches in her arms. "Hey, Susie. They've got you walking around now?" He struggled to sit up, amazed to see her out of bed after the four months that she had been stuck in a bed. She was ten years old, and the most lively person he had met in the whole coma ward. Her and her father were involved in a car accident. Susie barely escaped, breaking her left leg in two places, while her father had been in a coma for the past four months.

Greg first met Susie's mother, Caroline by the coffee machine four months ago. She was telling him all about her husband and her daughter's accident, telling him how much she wished that the children's ward and the coma ward were closer together, as she was constantly going up and down the flights of stairs to see them.

"Yeah, they're letting me test out my crutches." Susie hopped into the room, trying to put her weight on the crutches like they had told her down in physiotherapy. She made her way over to Greg's side, watching him wiping tears from his cheeks as he sat on the edge of Nick's bed. "My Dad's gone in for another surgery."

"Yeah, I saw your Mom earlier." Greg nodded, helping her to sit back on the chair behind her. "There's nothing to worry about though, he's going to be fine. When I was brought into hospital a few years ago, I had the same surgery your Dad's having now."

"You were in a coma?" Susie pulled her hair back into a ponytail, now that her arms were free from her crutches.

Greg shook his head. "No, but I had a head injury, and they had to drill into my head to relieve the pressure on my brain too. Your Dad's gonna be fine. He's been strong so far. They didn't think he'd make it past the first night. He's proved them wrong so far though." He reminded her.

Susie nodded, looking towards Nick on the bed. "Why do they have to sleep so much?"

"I don't know." He smiled at her, brushing his fingers through his messy hair. "It must be so nice to sleep so much though, having everyone do everything for you."

"I hate people doing everything for me." She wished she could get out of this cast, so she could get back to doing things for herself again. "As soon as my legs out of this cast, they said I have to start more physiotherapy to help me learn how to walk again. I told my Mom I won't need it though, I already know how to walk. I've been doing it for ten years."

Greg giggled softly, before he explained, "Yeah, but your muscles are weaker in that leg now. You need to strengthen the muscles so you can walk on it normally again."

"Have you ever broken a bone?" She queried.

Greg shook his head, smirking, "My mother never let me out of her sight long enough." He knew she would understand that, as she had met his mother a few times before, when she joined him at the hospital to visit Nick. "Does your mother know that you're in here?" He doubled checked, as she was always sneaking away from her mother, even when she was in the wheelchair, scaring her poor mother to death.

"Yep, she's right outside talking to Nurse Amy. I asked her if I could come see you and Nicky." Susie slid her hands back into her crutches, struggling to climb to her feet again. Greg helped her up, smiling as she gave him an annoyed look. "I'll come see you tomorrow. Do you think Nicky will wake up before I leave the hospital, so I can meet him properly?"

"I hope so." Greg nodded, placing his hands in his lap as he looked round at Nick. "He has to. He's been like this for six months now." He felt another tear in his eye, struggling not to cry in front of the little girl.

"Susie!" Her mother called out to her from the door. "You're not pestering Greg are you?"

"No." Susie smiled at Greg, before she hopped along towards the door. "Bye, Greg."

"Bye." He waved to her, giving Caroline a smile as she led her daughter out of the room, leaving him and Nick alone once again. "I wish you'd wake up, Nicky." He placed his hand over the man's forehead, feeling how warm his head was again. "Not again." He struggled off the bed, hurrying towards the nurses' station to tell Amy that his temperature was spiking again.

It felt as though he had touched a heater on full power, not a man's forehead.

He stood back in the hall as the nurses did their job, wishing there was something that he could do to help Nick. The nurses had showed him how he could help stretch Nick's limbs out, preventing him from getting bed sores, but that didn't seem like enough to him.

He needed to do more.

* * *

><p>Struggling to sit up in bed, Nick became fully aware of the fact that he was a grown up again, from the presence of the extra flesh on his chest. He was relieved that he was no longer in diapers, but now he'd have to get used to being like this all over again.<p>

He dropped his head back to his pillow beneath him; wishing things could go back to normal. He may not have had Greg in that life, but at least it felt more real than this. Anything would be better than this at the moment.

Before he could fall asleep again though, he was suddenly standing up, stood beside a familiar car. He looked around, realising that it was the parking lot of a night club, seeing that it was pretty full of cars, so it must have been popular.

"Ooh look, those guys are checking you out." Catherine suddenly appeared beside him, pointing out some young men by the bar, looking at the two ladies who had just walked into the club.

"I'm taken." Nick hoped he was with Greg again, avoiding the looks of the men drooling over them. He folded his arms across his chest, wondering why he would have brought himself here in such a small outfit.

"Oh yeah, how are things with Greg?" She queried, leading the way towards an empty table. "You guys have been dating for what, like... eight months now?"

"I guess." Nick sighed in relief, taking a seat on one of the stools. It didn't feel as though he had been dating him for eight months though, like most of his new life, he seemed to be flying through the months as if they were days. He'd go to sleep on one day, waking up and it would be a couple of weeks later. Seeing the familiar look in Catherine's eyes, Nick explained, "I know you all think he's kinda quirky and a bit of a dork, but I like him... a lot."

Catherine smiled, gently placing her hand on top of Nicky's. "I'm happy for you. At first, I thought that maybe you and Warrick, but you and Greg are so much cuter together. A much better fit." She winked at him, calling over one of the waitresses in a tight black dress to order them some drinks.

"Ladies." A man in a smart business suit suddenly made his way over to their table, looking as though he owned the joint, from the way he was walking around. "Catherine, good to see you again." He looked at her long legs, beneath the short dress she was wearing, before he turned his gaze towards Nick, staring freely at his breasts that were on display beneath the tightly fitted sundress Catherine had forced him to wear, with a low plunged neckline. The dress stopped just above his knee, so he was forever pulling it down to cover his thighs. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh... this is a colleague of mine." Catherine indicated towards Nick opposite her. "Nicky, this is George, he owns this club. George, this is Nicky. She's a crime scene investigator like me, from Texas."

"Texas girl, huh?" George flashed a wide grin Nick's way. "My mother was born in Texas, strongest woman I know. I hope you enjoy it here, Nicky, let me know if you ladies need anything. First drinks are on me." He winked at Nick, giving Catherine a smile as he left their table.

"I think he likes you." Catherine giggled, taking her drink off the waitress, relieved she didn't have to pay for their first drinks, but she wished she had ordered something a little bit more expensive. "Are you sure about this thing with Greg?"

"Yes, and nothin's gonna change my mind, especially not some wonnabe mobster, with a fake smile." Nick smirked, taking his drink off the waitress. "I'll stay for one drink, then I'm goin' over to Greg's. I haven't seen him in a while . . . we've been on separate shifts." He defended himself, seeing a look in Catherine's eyes.

"Okay, oh look, there's Adam." Catherine suddenly waved over to someone, ushering the man over to their table. Adam looked to be in his early thirties, dark brown hair, dark olive coloured eyes and the faintest amount of stubble on his chin. He was dressed in a black silk shirt, that Nick didn't really like, with a pair of tight jeans, hugging his strong legs. "Adam!" Catherine climbed off her stool to throw her arms around the man, making Nick wonder if the two of them perhaps had an intimate relationship at one point. "This is my friend from work, Nicky." She pointed out Nick at the table.

"Hi." Adam smiled at the beautiful young woman at the table, keeping his hand against Catherine's back, just above her butt. "Are all you girlfriends this hot?" The man smirked, releasing Catherine to take a step closer to Nick. "It's a pleasure to meet any friend of Catherine's, especially one as lovely as you. Would you care to dance?"

"Oh, no... I couldn't." Nick quickly shook his head, not sure if he could dance in these stilettos. He didn't even know how he managed to walk in them.

"Go on, Nicky, one dance." Catherine encouraged him, tugging the woman to her feet. "Go on, you love to dance."

Nick wanted to protest, but Adam was already dragging him to the dance floor, placing his arms around Nick's slim waist, once he found the perfect spot in the middle of the crowd. Nick wasn't at all comfortable with this position. Thanks to Catherine's dress choice, his boobs were mashed together like conjoined twins against this strange man's chest. As Adam drew him closer, Nick could feel even more things he wished he hadn't.

"Okay, let go now." He struggled to pull back from the man.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Adam's hands slid lower. "You don't like me."

"If you don't let go of me right now, I swear, I will castrate you." Nick threatened him, knowing the threat wouldn't be as scary as it used to be when he was man with some muscle behind his threats, but Adam seemed to get the message.

As soon as he was free, Nick returned to their table, finishing off the rest of his drink.

"I'm gonna go find Greg." He grabbed his purse, remembering not to leave it this time. "I'll see you at the lab tomorrow." He waved to Catherine, ignoring her pleas to stay. He felt as though he was going to be sick, he had never been put in that position with another man before, he felt vulnerable and alone, needing Greg with him, even though he knew that Greg wouldn't understand, because he still didn't know that he used to be a man.

He climbed into a taxi outside the club, instructing the man to drive straight over to Greg's apartment. Sitting in the back of the cab, he could feel his arms and legs shaking, after being held so tightly by a man he didn't know. He didn't know what he would have done if he hadn't let him go, making him think about the benefits that came with being a man.

* * *

><p>Rubbing the crusty sleep from his eyes, Grissom made his way towards the door of his hotel room that he was staying in while he was back in Las Vegas. He ruffled his hands through his bed messed hair, before opening the door to Greg. Before he could greet him properly, Greg hurried into the room with some books and files in his hands. Grissom pushed the door shut, following Greg through to the front room. "What's all this, Greg?" He looked at the books on either comas or trances in a deep sleep that Greg had brought in with him.<p>

"Research." Greg dropped to the sofa, sorting through the things in front of him. "Nicky's not the first case in Las Vegas. There's people all over the world who suddenly fall into comas for no reason at all. Their bodies slowly die, but their brains remain active up until the very last day, as if they're living inside their heads."

"Greg." Grissom knelt down beside him.

"Look," He held open a page in a research journal. "The most recent one was in Arizona. Man in his mid forties, single, he just up and passed out one day at work and never woke up again. He has all the same symptoms as Nick, even the same sorta life as him. What if that's the killers MO? He targets successful men close to their forties with no wife, kids or commitments."

"Greg." The older man spoke softly again, placing his hands over Greg's to stop him from flipping through the pages of the medical journal to another case. "Greg, you've been researching like mad for the past two weeks. You need a break from it all."

Greg shook his head, pulling his hands away from Grissom to clutch the book against his chest. "No, I have to. They never last past a year. Nick's been a coma for eight months. The doctors aren't doing anything. All they can do is keep him comfortable, but he's still gonna die. If this has happened to _other_ people, then we should be able to find out who's doing it and how to fix it."

"Greg, it's medical." Grissom reminded him. "This isn't some case that you can solve. You keep trying to, but it's a medical thing. You need to get on with your life."

Greg looked up at him, with tears in his eyes. "If it was Sara, could you forget about her?"

"I'm not telling you to forget about him." He assured the younger man, perching himself on the coffee table in front of him. "I don't want you to forget about him, Greg. You could never forget about, Nick. None of us ever could."

"Don't talk about him like he's already gone!" Greg snapped, climbing to his feet. "He's not dead."

"I know, Greg." Grissom looked towards the door behind him, hoping his wife would be back soon, as she was always better with this sort of thing.

"If we don't do something, he will be though." He anxiously ran his fingers through his hair, pacing the room of Grissom's hotel room, before he suddenly turned to look at him again. "What if there's some kind of poison in their system that can't be traced by the hospitals usual blood tests?"

Too busy rambling about how the hospital must have made a mistake, Greg didn't notice Sara wheeling a pushchair into the room. She knelt down to un-strap her three month old son, carrying him through to the front room of their hotel room, where Greg was still rambling.

She cleared her throat to get their attention, instantly seeing how terrible Greg looked. "Hey." She handed her son over to her husband, so she had her arms free to wrap around Greg's shoulders. "Hey, Greg. I haven't seen you in a while. How you doing?"

"I think I know what's making Nicky sick, but nobody believes me." Greg pulled back from her, directing a glare towards the very man who didn't believe him across the room. "If we don't do something soon, he's just gonna be another dead statistic, like all the rest." He grabbed some of his research to present it to Sara, knowing she'd probably believe him more than Grissom.

Sara looked over Greg's shoulder towards her husband, realising what he meant when he said that Greg was losing it.

"C'mon, we've had cases crazier than this over the years!" Greg looked between Sara and Grissom, realising that neither one of them were buying into the research he had been digging up. "Right," He turned to face Grissom. "When it's not somebody that you love, you don't give a crap. Is that it? Nick's always looked up to you. He'd do anything to help any one of you, but none of you will even lift a finger to help him when he really needs you!" He collected up the books and things he had brought with him, feeling the tears burning against his eyelids.

"Greg, Greg... it's not that I don't believe you." Sara followed him to the door, stopping him from leaving. "Even if this evidence _does_ back up what's happening to Nick, there's still nothing that we can do."

"We have to try!" Greg's tears dribbled down his cheeks, dropping off his chin onto the books in his arms. "If he's gonna die anyway, then it can't hurt to try something. I don't want to lose him. He's all I have."

"Then what do we do?" She asked him, placing her hands on his hitching shoulders. "Tell me what to do and I'll help you. I love Nick too. You know I'd do anything to help him. But we can't do anything if there's nothing than _can_ be done, am I right?"

Greg nodded slightly, sniffling back his tears. "I just feel so helpless sitting by his bed all the time. There's no reason why he shouldn't be awake, so why isn't he?"

"I don't know, Greg." She brushed her thumb across his cheek. "We'll get him back though, we have to."

* * *

><p>Greg lowered his beer as he heard a knock at his apartment door, struggling to his feet to open it. "Hey." He opened the door in scruffy jeans and a sweatshirt, surprised to see his girlfriend so dressed up. "Did we... have plans? Am I late for something?" He started panicking, looking round at the clock. "Was I supposed to meet you some..."<p>

"Hey, relax." Nicky chuckled, stepping into the younger man's apartment to press their lips together. "Catherine dragged me out with her, that's why I'm dressed like this, but... it's not really my thing. I'd prefer to be with you."

"So I'm not the worst boyfriend ever?"

"Far from it." Nicky winked at him, giggling as Greg immediately wrapped his arms around her, dragging her further into his apartment. Greg kicked his apartment door shut, leading Nicky by the hand towards his bedroom. "Wow, did you actually clean up in here?" Nicky noticed that his clothes had been put away and there were clean sheets on his bed.

"Nope, that would be the other lady in my life." Greg backed his girlfriend up against his bedroom wall, smiling at the sight of her confused expression. "My mother." He smirked. "She was in town yesterday, she always insists on cleaning my apartment whenever she's over, even though I beg her not to every time. Give me a couple of days, and I'll have it back to normal."

"You could try keepin' it clean." Nick chuckled, feeling as though he was talking to a child, not his boyfriend. "I don't care anyway. I love the mess; it's a part of you." He turned their bodies so Greg was the one against the wall, joining their lips for a passionate kiss.

As their tongues met in their mouths, dancing around each other, Greg reached for the hem of Nicky's dress, pulling it up towards her hips. He trailed kisses across her jaw, teasing his tongue down her ticklish throat, stopping with a kiss to her collarbone. In one clean sweep, he lifted her dress up over her shoulders, dropping it to the floor behind her, leaving her stood in her panties.

Nicky slid her hands beneath Greg's sweatshirt, feeling his smooth skin beneath it, while the younger man kissed her neck. She giggled as Greg gently pushed her back, where she landed on the younger man's bed. Greg quickly stripped himself of his jeans, sweatshirt and t-shirt, pushing Nicky's thighs apart as he climbed on top of her.

Greg pressed a kiss to her navel, slowly working his way up her chest with open mouthed kisses, stopping at her neck. He abandoned the warmth of his girlfriend's body for a moment, leaning towards his bedside table, for the usual supplies. He smiled as he saw Nicky looking into his eyes the whole time, so full of love and warmth, nothing like any of the other girls he had dated in the past.

"You know, we're coming up on our nine month anniversary." Greg playfully nipped at Nicky's soft pouty lips, grinding his hips against hers. "We celebrated our fifth month and our third."

"We did?" Nick raised one of his arms above his head, feeling ready to burst from the feel of his boyfriend's body pressed firmly against him. He didn't know what was happening to him, but he had the sudden urge to feel Greg inside of him. "Oh right, you took me out to that weird sushi restaurant and we both got sick." He remembered, giggling at the memory of them both leant over the toilet the whole night, before curling up together on the floor with aching sides. He didn't know how he remembered that, he hadn't even lived through it. "Maybe we could skip it this time around?"

Greg chuckled softly, resting his hand on Nicky's exposed hip. "Maybe we could do something different this time. Like... a honeymoon suite in a pricy Vegas hotel?" He grinned, pressing their lips together. "One of the hotel rooms you've never processed of course."

"I don't think there are any." Nicky smirked, raising her thighs either side of the younger man's hips. "You don't have to do anythin' special though, every time we're together its special." She arched her chest off the mattress, bringing their bodies closer together. "I just wonna be with you. I don't care where we are."

"I really enjoy spending time with you too." Greg brushed a stray hair from Nicky's face, smiling as he looked down into her eyes. "Not just because of this," He indicated towards their almost naked bodies mashed together. "I love whatever we're doing together. I love _you_." He finally said it after nine months, emphasising the '_you'_ part.

Nick's lips immediately spread into a wide smile, knowing that this time he actually meant it. "I love you too."

Greg flashed the biggest, cutest smile he had ever seen, before he resumed his kissing, delicately touching his soft fingertips to Nick's thigh. He squirmed beneath Greg, feeling the pleasure rising in his stomach. His experienced younger lover's hand slid across the back of his thigh, bringing his knee up around his own hip. Having a sense of déjà vu, he realised that Greg had done the same thing to him when he was a guy.

Still kissing Nicky, Greg's hands moved to either side of her panties, gently tugging them down her thighs. He pressed an open mouthed kiss to her collarbone, leaning back on his knees to remove his own underwear, seeing a look of nervousness in Nicky's eyes.

"Whatsup?"

Nick shook his head, not wanting to tell Greg that this would be the first sex he would actually live through. He knew that he had already had sex before, as he had the memories of when, who with and where, but it felt like somebody else's life, as he hadn't actually lived through it himself.

Instead of jumping straight into it though, Greg's warm lips kissed his neck, caressed his breast with his strong hand, teased his feather light fingertips down his smooth stomach and scoured his tongue across his ribs, in the direction of his navel.

His pleasure built to levels higher than he had ever experienced, bringing him to the point of explosion, making him whimper louder than he ever had before. Just when he thought he couldn't take anymore, he felt his boyfriend's stiff appendage slipping inside of him, causing his new crotch muscles to instantly tighten.

He began to murmur the younger man's name, kissing his delicious lips, as something inside him burst. It felt strange at first, but then he felt the warmth tingling its way through his whole body, filling him with the familiar ecstasy burst that he used to experience as a man, only it lasted longer, much longer.

* * *

><p>Resting his head against Nick's shoulder, Greg wrapped his arm around the man's chest, closing his eyes as he listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. He ignored the beeping machines around him, realising that they had just become more like a familiar background noise to him now. "Do you think that you could give me a sign?" He whispered, adjusting himself against the side of the older man's warm body. "Anything will do really. I just need to know that you're still in there."<p>

He opened his eyes, feeling Nick's chest breathing in deeper, holding his breath for a moment, before it wheezed out through his nose. His next breath returned to normal though, making Greg wonder if that was his sign.

Greg rested on his elbow beside the man's head, tracing his fingertip across his beautiful jaw line, before he whispered, "Are you like this because of me? Do you need me to prove to you even more how much I love you?"

Again, Nick breathed in deeply, slowly letting it out through his nose.

Smiling, Greg reached for Nick's hand at his side, clenching it tightly in his own. "Nicky, squeeze my hand if you can hear me." He patiently waited, but Nick didn't move. "C'mon Nicky, I know you're in there. Squeeze my hand." He waited again, dropping his head to Nick's shoulder as there was no movement after ten minutes. "I love you, Nick. I need you. I'm nothing without you."

Nick breathed deeply, finally squeezing Greg's hand, before he let it out.

Greg smiled widely, pressing his lips to the man's jaw line. As he did, Nick's fingers twitched in his hand again. "I knew it." He climbed off the bed. "I knew it couldn't _only_ be a medical thing. There has to be something that I can do." He pressed a kiss to Nick's warm forehead, holding him for a few seconds, before he left his side. "I'll be back as soon as I can, baby." He didn't mean for the pet name to slip out, it just sort of rolled off his tongue. He didn't mind the sound of it though, he could definitely get used to it.

* * *

><p>Moments before the alarm clock started to buzz, both bodies lay entangled together beneath the covers, in a deep sleep. It had been a warm day, so they were only dressed in light clothing. Greg was just in his boxers, with his arm draped around his lover's waist. Nicky was wearing one of her boyfriend's t-shirts as a night shirt, with her panties on underneath.<p>

After three years of dating Greg, she felt completely comfortable in his arms, feeling as though he protected her in her sleep. Even though they spent most of their time at Greg's apartment, it being closer to work and all, last night they decided to sleep at Nicky's place, after a romantic meal together. Nicky's bed was slightly bigger, but they still only slept on one side together, remaining in each other's arms the whole night.

Nick reached out for the alarm as it started to buzz, shutting it off. He rolled back into the warm embrace of his partner, smiling as Greg pressed a kiss to his exposed shoulder. "Mornin'." With an ear to ear grin, Nick turned in his arms, burying himself against Greg's warm chest. "Don't you have to be at the lab early tonight?"

"So the boss can boss me around extra early?" The younger man gave out a whimper, sealing a kiss over Nicky's lips, before he reluctantly forced himself out of bed. "I'm gonna grab a shower, you do have some of my coffee here, don't you?"

"Sorry, baby." Nick shook his head, snuggling back against Greg's warm pillow, while his boyfriend scrambled off the bed. "You drank the last of it the last time you stayed over." He reminded him, giving his lover a sympathetic smile as he made his way off to the bathroom to shower, knowing he wouldn't be able to drink a warm cup of his favourite coffee once he had finished.

When Greg was done in the shower, he dropped onto the bed on top of his sleeping lover, pressing his lips against hers. Nicky giggled as she woke up, sliding her hands across her partner's slick wet shoulders, pulling him closer against her.

Pulling back, Nick chuckled, "You want a quickie before work?"

"Do I want to be with my adorably hot girlfriend for just a few more minutes, before I go and bleed my brains out of my ears at work?" Greg sarcastically asked, playfully grinding his hips against Nicky's. "You're damn right I do. I love you."

"I love you." Nick responded, giggling and squirming as his boyfriend started hungrily kissing his neck, slowly stripping him of his clothing, so their naked bodies were pressed firmly against each other. "Don't." He stopped Greg from leaving him to get a condom. "I want you now. I'll take a pill later." He assured him, knowing that neither one of them wanted a baby just yet.

They had talked about it for the future, agreeing that it was something that they both wanted, but they were still in the honeymoon stage of their relationship and wanted it to last as long as possible.

* * *

><p>"How'd you do with the nail clippers?" CSI lab supervisor, Gil Grissom stepped into the DNA lab, looking at the young DNA tech sat behind his desk. As the young man cocked an eyebrow, giving him a confused look, Grissom gave out a sigh, "The nail clippers I asked you to look at..."<p>

"Oh right," Greg remembered, straightening up on his stool. "I... haven't actually gotten to them yet. I figured it wasn't high priority, since I'd already ID'd the semen in your victim."

"That only proves that they had sex." Grissom pointed out to him, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Greg's messy hair, more messy than usual. "The nail clippers can place Jason Kent at the murder scene." He lowered his gaze to the younger man's wonky shirt collar. "His nails, her DNA... traces of the..."

"I get it." Greg jumped to his feet. "Killer, victim, location."

"Holy trinity, Greg. I need that." He pointed to the nail clippers, watching the younger man giving him a quick nod. "How are things with you and Nicky?" He actually asked one of his employees a personal question, causing Greg to drop his jaw in surprise. "I don't need details Greg, but you realise that if your relationship starts to interfere with your work, I'm going to have to let one of you go."

"I-I-It won't." The younger man stammered, adjusting his lab coat. "You have my word."

"It already is." Grissom spoke softly, breaking his word to himself that he was going to talk to Nicky in the privacy of his office once she got into work. "Greg, before you and... Nicky started dating; she was focused on her job and her cases. It's always hard when employees start dating, especially for ones who work together like you and Nicky. She's not as focused on her cases as she used to be. She misses things, her case notes are... severely lacking detail. I was going to talk to her when she came in, but I think that it's fair if I talk to the both of you."

"Nicky loves her job."

"She used to." Grissom corrected him, taking a step back towards the door. "Ecklie's out to fire her for her last mistake on a case, but I asked him to give her a second chance, knowing she can do better if she's more focused."

"Are you... as-asking me to break up with her?" Greg felt his heart sinking into his chest, but as usual, Grissom didn't give him a clear answer. Instead, he left the lab, walking in the direction of the AV lab, leaving Greg to his thoughts. He didn't want to lose Nicky, but he didn't want to be in the way of the career that she used to love either.

After talking with Archie in the AV lab, Grissom flipped through the papers in his hands, bumping into his secretary. "Sorry, Mr Grissom." Judy nervously extended her hand, holding out some pieces of paper to him. "I have your phone messages here."

"Thank you." Grissom thanked her with a smile, making her way towards his office, where he was flagged down by another man, wanting to talk. "Hang on a sec." He spotted Nicky exiting the locker room, laughing at something Warrick had told her. "Nicky!" He called out to her, waiting for her to look his way. "Can I have a word with you in my office?"

Nick gulped hard at his serious expression, adjusting the blouse he was wearing, before he made his way towards his office. As he approached the door to Grissom's office though, he heard the sound of an explosion erupting behind him. The force of the explosion blew outwards from Greg's DNA lab, breaking glass, sounding off alarms and sweeping people off their feet.

Grissom instantly reached out for Nicky in front of him, shielding her from the blast.

Nick couldn't believe he had forgotten about the lab explosion. He could have prevented it, kept Greg home or tried to warn him.

He pulled away from Grissom, seeing Sara lying on the floor in some glass, after being thrown against the wall. Nick couldn't hear anything, barely able to see through the thick black smoke, but he didn't want Greg to be alone.

He was lying on the floor outside of his lab, his back torn to pieces by the glass he was thrown through.

"Greg!"

* * *

><p>Without greeting his mother, Greg hurried through the house towards the back door, relieved to see his grandmother in the garden, right where she always was. Today, she was sat on her usual un-sturdy chair, beneath the old oak tree in their back garden. She was holding a book in her hands, but her eyes were looking up at the tree above her, having spotted a bird making herself a nest on one of the high branches.<p>

Greg quickly pushed the door open, hurrying through the garden towards her. "Nana!" He called out to her as he approached.

"Shh, you'll scare it off." She pressed her finger to her lips, knowing it was her grandson without turning to face him. He always used to run up to her like that as a child, thinking what he had to talk about was always more important. "If your Papa Olaf was here, he could tell me every little fact I'd ever want to know about that little bird." She pointed up in the tree, ushering her grandson closer with her other hand. "She's probably making a nest for her little chicks. Remember that little nest that you found when you were... ooh, about six. You found the broken eggs on the ground and you were crying, because you thought that the babies had died. Your grandfather had been lifting you up to see if the eggs were still there everyday..."

"Yeah, I remember." Greg knelt down beside her chair. "The cat had knocked the nest out of the tree while I was away at camp with my cousin, but Papa Olaf had photos of the chicks in their nest after they hatched. He showed me them to make me stop crying, then he had me bird watching with him for weeks to see them coming back to the garden with their mother."

His Nana Olaf nodded, smiling as she looked round at him. "Your grandfather was a firm believer in second lives. He believed that once you were done with one life, you moved onto another as either a bird, a tree... a star." She touched her hand to her grandchild's cheek, looking into his eyes that reminded her so much of her young husband's. She sensed the sadness he was feeling, whispering, "Nicky hasn't left you yet, in a way, he never will."

"Actually Nana, that's what I came to talk to you about." He quickly explained his findings to her, knowing she would be the only person that would actually believe such a crazy theory. "Nicky's time is almost expiring. I've read all of these cases, and none of them make it past a year. And none of them will do anything to help. Not Grissom, Sara, Catherine... they've given up on him. They'd rather just let Nick die in the hospital for some unknown medical reason, rather than actually investigating anything. It's not fair." He sounded like a child when he said that, but she understood his reasons. "Nick would do anything for them. Why won't they just do this one little thing for him?"

Thinking over everything her distraught grandchild had told her, his Nana pursed her lips together for a moment, before she snapped her book shut in her hands. "Take me to Nicky."

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoy these 2 chapters. Thanks to those of you who reviewed.<strong>

**~ Holly**


	7. Chapter 7: The Awakening

**Chapter Seven: The Awakening**

Standing back so his grandmother could assess Nick for herself, Greg felt his hands shaking at his sides, relieved that somebody finally believed him, enough to do something about it. Eight months had passed by so quickly, but it felt as though Nick had been gone for years now. He was still lying in the exact same position he had been for the past eight months, but the nurses on staff had managed to keep him in pretty good shape. His skin was a lot paler than it used to be, but his jaw line was still silky smooth, thanks to Amy's expertise in shaving.

He wasn't quite sure what he expected his grandmother to do, but she supposedly read peoples souls all the time. She might be able to see how Nick was or where he was, that's what he was hoping for.

"He needs someone more familiar to him." His Nana finally spoke, looking towards her grandson across the room. "I can't see into his soul, because he doesn't know me, but you might be able to."

"Me?" He took a step closer towards Nick's bed. "You've gotta be kidding, right? How am I supposed to do that... I don't even..."

"Shh." She smiled at him, reaching for his hand over the bed. "I can guide you through it. As long as you trust me."

"You know I do. Tell me what to do."

"It appears that's he's been trapped somehow, in an ideal reality or something inside of his head. Amateurs spell, but the magic's behind this particular spell are powerful. If whoever cast the spell suspects that you're trying to get inside, they could try and trap you too."

Greg pulled his hand away from her, looking at her confused. "You told me that magic and stuff wasn't real when I was a kid."

"Because your mother told me to." She defended herself, folding her arms across her chest. "She wanted a normal life for you, so I wasn't allowed to teach you anything. You probably got more of your father's DNA anyway, so the training would have been wasted on you. You think your mother's that good at cooking? She cheats. She's been using magic in her cooking for years, ever since her very first easy bake oven."

Feeling as though his grandmother was finally losing it, Greg just blinked his eyes a few times, trying to think of something to say.

"Don't look at me like that, Gregory Hojem Sanders." She used his full name through her frustration. "You asked me to help you. You know I'm useless when it comes to looking for things or thinking of logical explanations, but this, this I _am_ good at." She extended her hand across the bed again, waiting for her grandson to take it. "C'mon Greg, who can you trust more than your own grandmother?"

"When she's been keeping secrets about magic cooking, spells that put your boyfriend in a coma and all sorts for the last... thirty five years of my life, not so much." He pointed out to her, folding his arms across his chest. "Why didn't you tell me? You've told me everything else that my mother told you not to tell me."

"Just give me your hand." She snatched his hand away from him this time. "We can argue about this later with your mother present, since she's the one who made up the stupid rule that her baby isn't allowed to know about this stuff. Do you want me to help Nicky or what?"

"Yes." He nodded, looking at Nick between them. "But I don't understand what you want me to do."

"Well if you'd stop your complaining for five minutes, I _could_ explain it to you." She snapped at her grandchild, brushing her hair from her face as she recomposed herself. "As I was saying, it appears that Nick has been trapped in some kind of ideal reality in his head, while the witch feeds off his life source. A lot of witches do it to keep their youth. It's the easiest way, and most humane, because the host is never aware of it. They just live out their lives inside their head, until they eventually croak, never being aware of the fact that they're in a coma on the real world."

"Ideal reality though?" Greg queried, wondering what could be more ideal then the real thing. "Like what, infinite riches or something like that?"

"You'll see once you're in there." She placed her second hand over Nick's forehead.

"Whoa," He pulled his hand away from her again. "I'll see once I'm in there? You're going to put me inside of his head."

"Astral projection." The woman nodded, realising this was going to take forever. "I won't be able to anchor you in there for long, so you have to find Nick and try to get him to snap out of it. Make him believe that none of it is real. He has the power to end all of this himself, he just doesn't know it and don't you believe anything you see either. It's all fake."

Greg nodded his head, still not quite sure what his Nana was even going to do. He had never really believed in magic, future telling he could probably believe, but not magic that could trap people inside their heads, while some evil witch fed on their life source.

That was just... weird.

As his grandmother closed her eyes, concentrating on anchoring her grandson to this plain, while projecting him into Nick's mind, Greg started to feel a strange dizziness inside his head. He closed his eyes so he didn't have to look at the spinning room, feeling as though his body was in a really fast elevator or something.

When he landed on his hands and knees against something hard, Greg snapped his eyes open, seeing a tiled floor in front of him. He leant back on his knees, looking up at the high ceilings, large stained glass windows and the rustic looking beams and things, realising he was in a church.

But he wasn't alone.

The rows of benches were filled with people, dressed in formal suits and gowns. He struggled to his feet, seeing a couple stood at the altar. He gasped at the sight of himself, a little younger than he was now, but it was definitely him. He was dressed in a smart tuxedo, slowly lifting the veil covering his bride's face.

Was this Nick's ideal reality?

Greg slipped into one of the seats in the back, searching for Nick in the crowd. He caught sight of Catherine, with Lindsey sat beside her. Both of them looked a lot younger, indicating that Nick must have been living in the past inside of his head. That made more sense, but why would Nick want to watch him getting married to some woman?

When Greg spotted his mother on one side of the church, he looked towards the other to see the bride's parents, where he spotted Warrick instead. "Oh my god." He whispered, wanting to run up and hug him, but he remembered what his grandmother said about everything in this world being fake, which probably included his deceased friend.

"Greg, repeat after me." The Priest looked towards the younger version of Greg, looking at the book in his hands to read the line. "I, Greg Sanders, do take you, Nichola Stokes to be my wife."

Greg immediately widened his eyes at the sound of the name, leaning forwards on his seat to try and get a better look at the bride. "How?" He asked himself, seeing that the young woman had Nick's eyes, but she looked nothing like his Nick. She had a slender jaw line, a female figure and long hair.

Once he had heard himself saying his vows to _Nichola_ Stokes, the Priest turned to the bride, getting her to do the same.

"I, Nichola Stokes, do take you, Greg Sanders to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love." The young woman spoke, gazing into the younger Greg's eyes with a slight hint of a Texan rasp to her voice, but nowhere near as sexy as the real Nick's.

There was no doubt in Greg's mind now, this world was definitely fake.

No one could replace the real Nick.

He stayed for the vows, hiding his face as the couple walked past him, as two Greg's in the same place could cause some confusion with the fake wedding guests. Greg climbed to his feet once the guests had passed him, following them out the doors. Instead of bringing him outside the church though, the doors led him to the lab.

Greg turned to look behind him, confused as the church was completely gone. He looked around the familiar lab, following the more familiar laughter of Warrick. The older man was in the break room with Catherine and the woman he married in this reality.

He stayed outside in the hall to watch them a moment, waiting for Catherine and Warrick to leave, before he stepped into the break room. He was determined to talk to this new Nick, but as soon as he stepped through the door, the room changed again, making the younger man roll his eyes.

"How am I supposed to do this?" He asked out loud, looking around at his new surroundings. He appeared to be in a house of some kind, stood in a front room. Hearing footsteps coming from somewhere, he turned his head towards them, stepping back as he saw Nick's mother coming down the stairs, looking a lot younger than she was now with a baby in her arms.

"Let's get you a bottle, Nicky." She carried the baby through to the kitchen.

Greg widened his eyes again, watching the woman holding the small baby against her side, while she prepared a bottle for it. _That can't be Nick._ He thought to himself, thinking this so called ideal reality really wasn't what he expected Nick to want for his life.

Hearing voices coming from somewhere again, he turned his head towards them, watching a younger version of himself pressing his lips against a young woman's, before he turned for the front door behind him, looking as though he was leaving for work. Nichola waved to him in her underwear and a baggy t-shirt, closing the front door behind him.

"Nick." Greg figured now was the best time to talk to him/her, only he had now freaked her out.

"Oh my... god!" She watched her husband pulling out of their driveway, before she turned her head back towards her husband stood in the front room. "How...?"

"It's tough to explain." Greg walked towards her, only making her back up against the wall behind her in fear. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Nick. I'm Greg."

"Yes, I know you're Greg, but why's..." Nicky suddenly stopped, dropping her jaw as she realised what he had said. "You called me Nick. Why'd you call me, Nick?"

"It's your name." The man pointed out to him, having a hard time looking at Nick like this. "Nick... this isn't you. You're not a... girl. Why would you want this?"

"You remember me?" Nicky gave him a confused look, adjusting the t-shirt covering her body as she felt naked in front of Greg. "How?"

"From what my Nana told me, you're stuck in some ideal reality in your head." He brushed some hair from Nick's face, looking at her only familiar feature, the eyes. "Wow, it's really you. Why...?" He watched her folding her arms across her chest, realising that Nick's body had completely changed to fit with his ideal world. "I knew that you wanted to be with me, but why would you choose this?"

"I don't know... it's easier I guess." Nick shrugged his shoulders, pulling his t-shirt down to cover his hips. "For the record, I didn't chose this, it just sorta... happened. You're really the Greg... from the old world?"

"It's not exactly an old world. This world," Greg indicated towards the house and Nick's body. "It's fake. You're asleep, Nick. You've been in a coma for eight months. If you don't snap out of it, you're going to die. My Nana Olaf brought me here to get you out, so we need to go."

"No." Nicky pulled away from him, leaning against the wall behind him. "I don't wonna go back."

Greg felt as though she had just stabbed him in the heart. "But you have to. Didn't you hear me, you're in a coma. This world is fake. Are you honestly happy with a fake me? Wouldn't you rather be with the real me?"

"It's not fake to me." She looked down at his hands. "I love him... or you even. We're married, and everythin's... normal and I'm happy."

"Nick, I want you back." Greg lifted her chin, so she could see into his eyes. "If you stay in here, I'm gonna lose you. I'm gonna have to watch you die, when I've never even told you that I love you. You don't have to change yourself for me, if that was the real me, he'd know that this isn't you. I love the real you. Nicholas Parker Stokes. A man. You've always been yourself around me, why would you think that I'd like... this version of you better?"

Nick gulped softly, looking into Greg's adorable eyes. "You don't understand, I _can't_ leave."

"Why? What's keeping you here?" Nicky reached for the hem of his t-shirt, slowly lifting it up. Greg widened his eyes at the slight pooch, not taking long to figure out that she was pregnant. He shook his head, remembering what his grandmother had said. "No, but Nick, this is fake. This whole world, everything in it is fake, except me. You're living inside your head.

"It doesn't feel fake." Nicky brushed her hand across her stomach. "I know it isn't. This is my baby. Mine and yours."

"It is, because you're still inside your head. My Nana can't keep me here long, but you have to wake up. It may feel real, because you're creating this world yourself, but it's not. Once you stop believing that it is, it'll all fall away and you'll come back to me." He guessed, trying to do everything he could to convince him to come back.

"To bein' single, forty and miserable? No way." Nicky refused, dropping her t-shirt back into place. "All of this was weird at first, but now I'm with you... or him even, we're married and we're expectin' a baby together. It's perfect and I never want it to end. If I really am dyin', then I'd rather stay here."

"Nicky." Greg felt his heart breaking. "Please! You can't just throw your life away for some... fantasy."

"Havin' your baby isn't _some_ fantasy, it's my dream."

"Dream being the literal word there." Greg pointed out to him or her. "If you come back with me, we can have all of this, together. You control this reality, Nicky. You're the only one in your head. None of it is real."

"How do you know this?" Nick asked him. "I've been alive like this for thirty two years. I remember bein' a kid, goin' to prom..."

Hearing his grandmother's voice in his head, Greg explained, "My Nana said that you created them, needing memories to back up your new life. You changed things in your past too, didn't you?" Nicky nodded slightly, looking down at the floor again. "See, you probably even changed how people are around you..."

"Stop it." Nicky wiped her eyes. "Why can't you just leave me alone to be happy?"

"Because you're going to die!" He grabbed hold of Nick's arms, making a desperate attempt to snap him out of this. "You think I'm just going to leave you alone to let you die? If your husband Greg really loved you like I do, he wouldn't let this happen to you."

Nick pulled away from Greg, walking into the front room. He dropped to the sofa, grabbing one of the scatter pillows to hold against his chest. "Just leave me alone."

"No, I'm not doing that again." Greg followed him into the room. "Nicky, I know that this is hard. But it's not real. As soon as you stop believing that, you can come home, back to the real world and be with me." Greg dropped to the floor in front of him, placing his hands over Nick's. "The last night that we were together was the first time that we were... you know, actually together. For the last eight months, I've sat by your bed, trying to figure out a way to help you. Now I finally can, but you won't let me."

"If I go back with you," Nick wiped his hands across his eyes. "What happens to my baby?"

Greg gulped hard, realising what he was asking Nick to give up. The one thing that he couldn't have as a man was growing inside of him, and Greg was asking him to give that up to go back to the life he was no longer happy in.

"It... just goes away, right?" Nick asked him, sniffling back his tears. "I can't do that. You can't ask me to do that. I love you, Greg, but this is my baby. Mine and yours. I won't give that up."

* * *

><p>"Ow." Greg stepped away from the bed, holding his spinning head.<p>

"Relax honey, just take deep breaths." His Nana hurried around the bed to stop him from fainting. "The head rush always gets me too. So, did you find him? Did you talk to him? Did you..."

"He's staying." Greg dropped into the seat behind him, looking at the male Nick lying on the bed. "I've lost him. I've really lost him." His lower lip started to quiver, as tears rolled down his cheeks. "He doesn't want his life here with me, he wants to stay there."

"You told him about the dying part, right?"

Greg nodded, wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands. "He's got a perfect little life in there, and he won't give it up for me or his life. He said he'd rather die then come back here." As his grandmother quickly dug around in her purse, pulling out a packet of tissues, he asked, "Can't _you_ do anything to bring him back?"

"Well," She pulled out one of the tissues, placing it in her grandson's shaky hand. "I guess I could turn his little perfect life upside down, but I haven't done an illusion like that in a while. It could go wrong."

"Wrong how?" He wiped his eyes on the tissue.

"Whatever it is, it'll only be temporary." The woman assured him, setting her purse back on the chair. "Tell me about his perfect little life, so I know where to start." Greg anxiously bit his lower lip, thinking he might embarrass Nick if he told his grandmother what he saw. "C'mon honey, times wasting away here. Just give me some ammo."

"He's married to me." He started, sniffling back his tears. "If you just put an illusion in, can't he just alter it? He altered his... his gender." He stammered.

"The host can't alter another witches magic. Only the witch herself can do that." His Nana Olaf shook her head, making her way back to the bed. "So, he's a girl and he's married to you? Is that all you saw?" As her grandson gave her a slight nod, she felt as though he was holding out on her, but decided to go with what he _had_ given her instead of pressuring him for answers.

* * *

><p>At sixteen weeks pregnant, Greg accompanied Nicky to the hospital, after she began bleeding in the night. The doctor had said that it was probably nothing to worry about, but he wanted them to come in so he could examine the patient. Nick had only just finished speaking with the Greg from his past or future, he was a little confused on that part, but apparently, it had been a week later already.<p>

After the doctor examined him, took a blood test and tested his blood pressure, Nick was instructed to lie back on the table to wait for his ultrasound to begin. He started to think over what the other Greg had said, wondering if he was going to see a blank screen when the doctor did his ultrasound or an image that he thought he was seeing.

Even though that Greg sounded a little crazy, he always believed everything Greg said, knowing he would never tell him a lie or try to hurt him in any way.

He pulled his top up his chest, looking at the slight bump of his stomach. He wasn't sure what to believe. Was he seeing the bump because he wanted to or was he seeing the bump because it was really there? He looked round at his husband Greg, seeing the younger man was texting on his phone, probably to his mother like he had been in the car. The last time he had seen him was on their wedding day. He hadn't experienced anything in between, but he had the memories inside of his head.

"Hey doc," Nick sat up, stopping him from starting up the machine. "Can we... have a sec?" He indicated towards his husband beside him. The doctor nodded, leaving the room to let them talk. Nick turned to look at Greg once he was gone, seeing a confused expression on his face. "If somebody told you... that you were gonna die, somebody that you trusted with your life, would you believe them?"

Greg gave him a shrug. "Who... who said it?"

"You did." He spoke softly. "Remember a while ago I told you about all that future stuff, well the other day, after you left for work, a future version of you came to see me, and he told me that I was gonna die."

"I did... or I mean, he did?" The younger man gave him a questioning look. "When?" He stepped closer to the table that his wife was lying on. "Did he warn you so that you can stop it?"

"Yes." Nick nodded, reaching out for Greg's hand. It felt like a real hand. His skin was warm and soft. He could feel the bones moving beneath the skin, seeing a change of colour on the skin when he pressed his fingertips against the back of his hand.

How could he not be real?

"He told me... he told me, that I have to give up all of this. The baby, you... everythin'. I have to give it all up, so I won't die."

"That's crazy." The younger man protested. "You can't do that."

"Then I'll die." Nick pointed out to him, holding Greg's warm hand tighter in his own. "He said that in his world, I've been in a coma for eight months, and I'm gonna die if I don't wake up. Wakin' up means I have to let you go." He pressed his other hand against his stomach, knowing he wouldn't be able to feel the baby move yet, but he just wanted to know if it was real. "If I don't give you up, I'm gonna die." He looked up at Greg, realising he wasn't even shedding so much as a tear at the news.

In fact, he had frozen, looking as if he was made of plastic.

"Greg." He snapped his fingers in front of him, seeing a shadow at the door. He slid off the bed, seeing a man's face in the window. He looked strangely familiar to him, but his face was blurred, almost as if he were a ghost in the wind. Nick stepped around Greg who remained motionless, making his way towards the door. As he pulled the door open, the man started walking away, visible only by the white ghostly trail that he was leaving behind.

Nick stopped walking as he realised that nobody else in the hall was moving. Like Greg back in the room, their faces remained motionless, not even their chests were rising and falling to breathe, as though they were robots who had suddenly run out of juice.

"It's not real." Nick whispered to himself. "I'm in my head." He looked back at the man in the ghostly trail, seeing his own image appearing at the door, as if he was looking into a mirror image of his former self. He looked at his broad chest, large shoulders and strong arms, suddenly realising how much he had missed being like that. "It's not real." He whispered to himself, seeing his image becoming clearer as the people and the hospital started to disappear. "It's not real."

* * *

><p>Greg left his parents out in the waiting room of the hospital, making his way towards Nick's room. His Nana's Olaf illusion last week clearly hadn't worked, as the man he adored was still deep in his coma, with no signs of improvement. He waved to Amy behind the desk at the nurses' station, before he stepped into Nick's room, seeing Grissom sat beside his bed, with a book in his hands. "Light reading there, boss?"<p>

"I'm not your boss anymore." Grissom smiled up at him, putting his book mark in place, before he set the book down. "I was reading to Nick, but he dozed off to sleep." He made a joke, making Greg smile slightly. "Sorry, that was..."

"Don't worry about it." Greg shook his head, inhaling a deep breath.

"What are you doing here so early?" Grissom changed the subject, seeing the sadness all over the younger man's face again.

"It's not _that_ early." Greg pointed out the time on his watch, dropping into the chair beside Grissom. "Did you even go home last night?"

"Yeah, I got... four hours of sleep." He estimated, turning his phone on to check for any messages from his wife. "I'm gonna go and call, Sara." He struggled to his feet, as his leg had gone to sleep. "Did you want me to get you a coffee or anything from the cafeteria?"

"Nope, I'm okay." Greg leant back in his seat, watching his former boss walking towards the door. He looked towards Nick as Grissom opened the door, widening his eyes at the sight of Nick's eyes opening. "Grissom, wait!" He called out to him, jumping to his feet. "He's awake."

Grissom whirled around on the balls of his feet, realising that Greg hadn't imagined it. Nick's eyes really were open. He was looking up at the ceiling, rather than at them, but that was better than not opening his eyes at all.

"Nicky." Greg held his hand, looking down into his eyes. "Nicky, can you hear me?" He brushed his fingers through the older man's hair, smiling as Nick's eyes followed the sound of his voice, returning his gaze. "He's awake. He's really awake!" He cried with joy, realising what his Nana must have done might have really worked. "Don't just stand there!" He shouted at his former boss. "Get a doctor."

"Right." Grissom hurried out into the hall.

"Nicky." Greg spoke softly, looking down into his eyes that were still locked on his own. "You can hear me, can't you?" He whispered, knowing Nick might not be able to respond at first, as he was a real human being and this wasn't a soap opera coma. He figured because it was a magic induced coma that he might be able to say something, but he just laid there, staring up at Greg as if he was seeing him for the first time.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the delay, I've been hooked on Final Fantasy XIII this weekend. I'll have the last chapter up shortly, just have to get back into the swing of things again :D<strong>

**Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed.**

**Have a great rest of your weekend!**

**~ Holly**


	8. Chapter 8: Out of the Rabbit Hole

**Chapter Eight: Out of the Rabbit Hole**

"I... can hear people talkin' around me... like all the time. Not so much what they're sayin', but... just the sound of their voices." The man spoke softly, trying to focus on the shape of the younger man's face beside him. "Voices I can't understand. Blurred images of people that I think I know... you expect me to believe that this is the real world." He smirked, hearing the familiar sound of Greg's laughter echoing into his head. "How long have I been here again? I know you told me..."

"Eight months." Greg gently brushed his fingers through Nick's hair. "You want me to go, so you can get some sleep again? You weren't so loopy yesterday."

"No." He firmly shook his head. "I don't want you to go. The doctors have been askin' me all sorts of questions all day . . . I'm just kinda, tired I guess. Who ever knew that comas came with so much homework after you wake up?" He smirked, flexing out his fingers, trying to curl them into a fist. He had already tried moving his legs, but they felt stiff. The doctors had assured him that it wasn't permanent, but he didn't like waking up in his old body that didn't work. "How long have I been awake now?"

"One week, almost two actually." Greg lifted Nick's hand into his own, weaving their fingers together. "You woke up on Saturday last week; it's now Thursday, almost Friday." He pointed out the time on his watch. "Do you remember who I am?"

Nick smiled at him. "Of course I do." He tightened his fingers as much as he could around Greg's hand, while looking up into his eyes. "I can't believe that I believed all of that... other world. There was so much of it that didn't add up, but I didn't... I didn't stop and question it once." He brushed his thumb across the back of Greg's hand, in slow jerky movements. "You would have."

"Not if it was my ideal reality." He pursed his lips together, remembering what he had seen in Nick's supposed perfect world. "Nicky, I don't blame you for staying a little longer, so stop giving me that look. You don't have to tell me anything, I'm just glad that you're here now. You are happy... that you're here, right?"

The older man nodded slightly, adjusting his head to a comfier position against his pillow. "I feel like I've screwed up big time though." He looked up into the younger man's adoring eyes. "I changed everythin' that made me Nick, just to be with you, not knowin' that you liked me like this. I feel so stupid."

"Don't." Greg swivelled himself around, so he could lay himself down beside Nick, resting his head against the pillow in front of him. "You have nothing to feel stupid about, and you didn't screw up. You didn't know what was going on. And for the record, you make a pretty sexy girl."

Nick chuckled softly, feeling blush creeping into his cheeks. "You're never gonna let me live that one down, are you?"

"A Boyfriends right." He giggled softly, gently placing his hand over Nick's chest, feeling his heart beating against his hand. "That is, if you want me to be your boyfriend, where you stay a guy this time. You may have made a sexy girl, but I love you like this, as a real man." He circled his hand across the man's torso, whispering, "The Greg you made in your head might have liked you like that, but I love you just as you are now. I've gotta have it all. Every quality that makes you, you."

Blushing, Nick licked his lips, before he spoke, "I wish you'd told me before. You coulda saved me a lot of trouble."

"So you _do_ wonna be my boyfriend?"

"Isn't my pathetic ideal world proof of what I want?" Nick smirked, squeezing Greg's hand a little tighter, as he confessed, "In that... in my head, there were some things that I liked... that I could definitely get used to. When I was little, my father was closer to me. Don't get me wrong, we were pretty close when I was a boy, but as a girl, he really... he loved me. He showed it more than he said it. I still feel so different... on the outside. It took me ages to get used to havin'... you know, breasts, now it feels weird that I don't." He abruptly changed the subject, smiling as he looked into Greg's eyes. "That's doesn't mean I have some secret desire to become a girl again though. I hated a lot of it. Dresses in particular, you have no idea how vulnerable they make you feel. My weddin' dress, that was the most uncomfortable. My mother was actually the one who insisted on the low bust cut for my husband's sake."

Greg smiled at him, raising his hand to brush his thumb across Nick's cheek. "I bet you can't wait to get back to jeans and t-shirts again, huh?"

"Actually," He struggled to turn his head, slowly leaning forwards to press their lips together. As Greg turned his head to a better angle, Nick was able to deepen the kiss, feeling his once lifeless body starting to tingle all over. "I've been waitin' to kiss my miracle drug since I first woke up. You kiss a lot better than in my dream."

"Told yah, real is always better."

Nodding in agreement, Nick said, "From now on, no more puttin' things off. I want to spend every day that I have, doin' somethin' that I want to do, rather than what other people want me to do. Like bein' with you, I want a real first time with you. I want everythin' that I didn't have in my head. You were right, even though I refused to believe it, that Greg wasn't you. Savin' you from things that happened to you changed you too. I didn't stop the lab explosion, but I stopped you from goin' to work that night that you..."

"You did?" He interrupted him, knowing what he meant.

Nick nodded slightly. "Without all that... experience though, you were nothin' like you are now. Even I changed. I stopped the stalker, I wasn't framed for the murder of Kristy Hopkins... and I was never in that Plexiglas coffin. Warrick was instead of me, and I felt guilty, because I made it happen."

"You didn't." Greg shook his head. "It was just some crazy dream that you cooked up in your head. Where you were a girl with big boobs and a hot little body..."

"Stop teasin' me." Nick pouted at him, wishing he could raise his arm to tickle him. "Nurse Amy let you stay because you were helpin' me. She'll kick you out if she hears that you're teasin' me."

"I'm sorry, baby." Greg pressed his lips to the older man's forehead, draping one arm over his manly chest. "No more teasing, I swear." He smiled warmly at him. "You know, I saw you in that wedding dress. You looked like a white goddess."

"Oh god." Nick closed his eyes, whimpering, "Why couldn't I have dreamt of becomin' an astronaut or a cowboy? Somethin' cool like that, instead of a girl."

"You had your reasons." The younger man understood, resting his forehead against Nick's. "Before you went in... you were saying how much easier it would to date the guys you wanted to date if you had been born a girl, so this fantasy world played on that, giving you exactly what you wanted." He smiled as Nick's eyes fluttered open, slowly travelling upwards until they were locked on his own. "You just don't see what I see when I look at you. If you did, you wouldn't want to change a thing about yourself. I love you, just as you are."

"You tryin' to make me cry now?"

"Far from it." He shook his head, grazing his lips across Nick's. "The bad thing about dreams... is that you always have to wake up from them. Living with me in the real world is gonna be hard, because it's going to be anything _but_ perfect... but I want you to have everything that you deserve. I mean... if you still want me."

Smile wrinkles deepened at the corners of Nick's eyes, lifting Greg's heart to new heights. "You're everythin' that I've ever wanted." He assured him. "I gave up my career and my life for you, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You're all I've ever wanted, Greg."

Greg smiled with joy, unable to think of anything else to say.

"My word, are you... you're speechless." Nick chuckled, adoring the younger man even more. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"Well, no one's ever declared anything to me like that before." He defended himself, anxiously biting his lower lip. "You all think I'm a big goof, but I have feelings too."

"I know you do."

Smiling as he looked into Nick's eyes, he whispered, "For the past few months, you're all I've thought about. When we first... I wasn't so sure what I wanted or what direction we were going in, but now I'm sure that I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Or for as long as you can stand me, either way I'm cool."

"You're adorable." Nick winked at him. "I'd hug you right now if I could lift my arms. Speakin' of," He suddenly remembered. "Who the hell did this to me anyway? Before... all of this I guess, I never even believed in magic or any of that."

"Me either." Greg agreed. "And my Nana Olaf said she'd sort it, you just need to focus on getting better. Your physiotherapist is coming by tomorrow. We're gonna have you lifting things and walking in no time."

"Good, I can't wait to go to the bathroom by myself again." He smiled at him. "And Greg... thanks for... you know, stickin' by me. Grissom and Amy told me that you never left my side. You even turned down that job and lost your apartment..."

"You're way more important." The younger man assured him. "And it's not like I haven't been taking care of myself too. My stuffs all in boxes over at Catherine's, I've been sleeping on her sofa for a while, but I can find another apartment..."

"Move in with me." Nick cut him off, feeling embarrassed that he said that out loud. "I mean... I have a spare bedroom that's never in use." Seeing the disappointment in Greg's eyes, he smirked, "Or you can bunk in with me."

"You really know how to sweep a guy off his feet, huh?" He smirked, brushing his fingers through Nick's gorgeously soft hair. "Don't you think that it's a little soon to be moving in together though? Our first date may have been eight months ago, but still..."

"I told you, no more puttin' things off."

* * *

><p>Loretta was sitting on her sofa, flipping through the channels on the TV in front of her with a beer in her hands, when the two women made it to her dingy little motel room. When she saw the two women entering her room from the door across the room, she instantly smiled, lowering the beer from her mouth. "I was wondering how long it would take you ladies to find me." She cockily smirked. "As soon as I found out that Nick was in love with that charming young man of yours, I instantly backed off. Honestly ladies," She pulled up the sleeve of her blouse, tapping her watch as she shook her head. "I was expecting you sooner than this."<p>

"Hello, little sister." Jean remarked, looking at the woman nearly twice her age. "I told you if I ever saw you again, I was going to kill you." She lunged forwards, being held back by her mother beside her. "You're going to stand by and let her remark her way out of this one again?" She turned to look at her mother. "She almost killed Nick!"

"I'll handle this." Her mother gave her a look, before she took a step closer towards Loretta. "As soon as Greg showed me those files, I knew this was down to you. You wouldn't need to feed on the life source of humans if you actually obeyed the rules. You use bad magic's, you drain the life from yourself. That was one of the first lessons I ever taught you."

"I hate all these stupid rules." Loretta set her beer down on the coffee table. "There's so many rules for every little thing, we should be living how we want, not obeying dumb rules that don't even make any sense."

"The rules are there to protect yourself and the people around you." The older woman stepped forwards. "You know that."

"It's funny how you let her break all the rules." Loretta pointed towards her big sister, Jean by the door. "She's married a human. She gave birth to a hybrid child. She didn't teach her child how to use his powers or any of the stupid rules. But of course, she's the '_perfect_' child." She finger quoted perfect in a mocking tone. "I'm the screw up, right?"

"You're hurting people for your own selfish reasons!" Her mother snapped at her. "I didn't raise you girls this way. Jeannette just wanted to raise a family. She married a human man without using her magic, she didn't manipulate him in anyway and her child was made naturally. She hasn't broken any rules. You however have been hurting people since you graduated. I should have stopped you when I had the chance, but I loved you too much to see straight then."

Loretta folded her arms across her chest, giving her mother a daring look. "So, what are you gonna do about it?"

With a snap of her fingers, their mother showed her exactly what she was going to do about it, sending her back to their world, where she would stand trial before the court for her crimes. She never turned her in before as she knew how brutal their methods of punishment could be, but after looking over her grandson's discoveries, she couldn't deny what her daughter was anymore.

"Mom, are you okay?" Her daughter stepped up beside her, placing her hand on her shoulder.

Her mother placed her hand on her own, giving her a nod. "Yes, I'm fine. C'mon, we should go. We're running late."

"Witches who can fast travel can never run late." Jean giggled, looking down at the floor as she made a confession. "Mom, I was wrong to judge you... when you pushed Lori away, and again when you didn't report her in right away. I'm sorry." She looked up into her mother's wise green eyes. "I'm thinking that maybe I was wrong for telling you not to teach Greg too. I just... I wanted him to have a normal life without... any of this. He almost got through it... but you said that while you were anchoring him, you definitely saw some..."

"Yes." Her mother nodded. "His powers are dormant though. He's not even aware of them. But you were right not to tell him. I should have protected you and your sister, the way you protected your own child. Your father always wanted it that way, but I never listened to him."

"I don't blame you." Jean quickly assured her. "You took us away from our world and brought us here, and I'm very grateful for that, because I love it here. I don't look back on any of my past with regrets. You did what you had to in order to keep us safe." She wrapped her arms around her mother's shoulders, holding her tightly in her arms. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart. And I promise, I won't teach Greg a thing."

Jean smiled, wiping a tear from her eye. "Right, let's go. We don't want to miss the biggest day of my little boy's life."

"You've gotta stop calling him that eventually." Her mother giggled. "I stopped calling you my little girl on the day of your wedding."

"Well, looks like today's the day." She pulled open the motel room door, ushering her mother through the door first. They stepped out of the dingy motel room, into a grand hotel lobby, adjusting their pristine attire for the wedding, spotting Greg anxiously biting his fingertips, leant against the front desk. "Sweetheart!" Jean called out to him, greeting her nervous son with a hug. "You're shaking like a penguin in Antarctica. What's the matter?"

"I'm nervous." Greg shrugged, pulling back from her.

"Don't bite your nails." His grandmother pushed his hand away from his mouth. "What have you got to be so nervous about?" She adjusted his bowtie for him.

"The fact that I've been dating Nick for less than a year and we're getting married already comes to mind. I think it's the public kiss that is really scaring me though, especially in front of our parents and the people we work with." Greg pushed his Nana Olaf's hands away from the bowtie that Sara had spent ages tying for him, checking the time on his watch again. "Maybe Nick's joke of running away to Hawaii to get married wasn't such a bad idea."

"Don't be ridiculous." His mother pushed his hands away from his bowtie, adjusting it for herself. She brushed her hands down the sleeves of his jacket, smiling at how grown up he looked. "You're going to be fine. I think your father and I are used to the two of you kissing by now. You're always at it whenever you visit."

Greg rolled his eyes at her, spotting a tear in his Nana Olaf's eye. "Don't you start, you'll get me started." He warned her, stepping forwards to hug her. "I wouldn't even have Nick if it wasn't for you. Thank you."

"You did most of it yourself, sweetheart." Nana Olaf gently smoothed her hand across his back, pulling back before she wrinkled his suit. "C'mon then, no more of this girly heart to heart stuff, let's get you up that aisle and get you married." She ushered him along, spotting Daniel waiting to greet them. "You look nice for a bag of bones." She teased her son in law.

"Ignore her." Jean wrapped her arms around her husband, pecking a kiss to his cheek, before she pulled their son into their embrace. "You think that Nicky can really stomach being a part of the Sanders clan?"

"You bet he is." Greg smiled at his parents, waving to the man in question, being smothered by his own mother and sisters with hugs. "Mom, don't kiss me in front of everybody." He wriggled away from her. "Behave yourself, and don't burst into tears." He warned her.

"I can't help it if I shed a few tears." Jean waved to her son, slipping her hand into her husband's. "You have some tissues with you, right?"

"Of course, my dear." Daniel opened his jacket, revealing the packet of Kleenex tissues inside his pocket. "Looks like the Minister wants to get started." He pointed towards the front, where the female Minister was just setting up. Daniel led his wife and mother in law down the aisle, shaking hands with Nick's father, whom he had met several times before, shortly after their son's announced their engagement to them.

Daniel didn't know how Nick managed to bring his parents round on the idea of him getting married to another man, especially after he had told them how traditional they both were. His father seemed a little reluctant at first, but he seemed to have come around now. He was even hugging his son, congratulating him on his special day.

When everyone finally took their seats, so the service could begin, Nick and Greg joined hands at the front, smiling as they looked into one another's eyes with excitement fluttering through their stomachs.

"We are gathered here in the sight of God and these witnesses to unite Nicholas Parker Stokes and Gregory Hojem Sanders in holy matrimony." The Minister started, reading the call to worship, as per Mrs Stokes' instructions. "Nick and Greg, as you prepare to take these vows, give careful thought and prayer, for as you make them, you are making an exclusive commitment one to the other for as long as you both shall live. Your love for each other should never be diminished by difficult circumstances, and it is to endure until death parts you. We have gathered together to witness and bless their union in marriage. To this sacred moment they bring the fullness of their hearts as a treasure and a gift from God to share with one another. They bring the dreams which bind them together in an eternal commitment. They bring their gifts and talents, their unique personalities and spirits, which God will unite together into one being as they build their life together. We rejoice with them in thankfulness to the Lord for creating this union of hearts, built on friendship, respect and love. Amen."

"Amen." The wedding guests parroted.

"Now, Nick and Greg have written their own wedding vows to one another, that they would like to share with us today." She smiled at the couple, watching Greg unfolding a piece of paper from his pocket to read his first.

"Nicky," He inhaled a deep breath. "You have always been my best friend. Ever since I have known you, I've always known that there was something special about you. Since we've been together, you've made me feel more complete, more alive... and you have shown me the true meaning of happiness. I am a better person with you by my side, and I am completely prepared to spend the rest of my life with you, whatever adventure you may bring." He smiled up at him, feeling his hands shaking against the edges of his piece of paper. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, getting to know the man you are inside, falling in love with you a little more every day. Today, I give you my hand, my heart, my soul and my unconditional love, completely and forever." Greg retrieved one of the gold wedding bands that the Minister was holding, slipping it onto Nick's finger. "I love you, with all my heart."

The corners of Nick's mouth gently creased, bringing a beautiful smile to his flawless features. Greg was tempted to kiss him now, but he knew that he had to wait for that part.

Following Greg's lead, Nick searched his pockets, finding the folded piece of paper he had written his vows on. He had been hoping to memorise them, but he kept changing them as the days went by, thinking up more things that he wanted to say to Greg on the best day of their lives.

Nick cleared his throat, reading the first line in his head, before he gained the courage to say how he felt in front of the real people in his life. "In all my life, I never felt like anyone ever listened to me, respected me or really understood me. But then I met you," He looked up at his partner, feeling the warmth of Greg's soul in his heart, just by looking into the younger man's eyes. "Since I found you, you brought new meanin' to my life. I have been wishin' for so many things for as long as I can remember, but you're the only one who's ever made any of them come true. With you, I will walk the path I was meant to, from this day forward."

Greg smiled as he heard that line, relieved to hear that Nick actually preferred the real version of him, rather than the version of him from his perfect world.

"I traded a fantasy for a reality, feelin' like... Alice in Wonderland when she comes back." Nick continued, knowing only Greg's family would understand this part, "Although the fantasy world sparkled its flawless perfectness every day, my eyes are wide open now to you and the real world. I'd take this reality over any fantasy." Nick slipped the gold wedding band onto his partner's finger, giving him a wink. "Because spendin' the rest of my life with you, will be a dream come true."

The Minister smiled at the two of them, addressing the crowd once again, "Now that Nick and Greg have given themselves to each other by the promises they have exchanged, I pronounce them life partners. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe. May the love of God be above you to overshadow you, beneath you to uphold you, before you to guide you, behind you to protect you, close beside you and within you to make you able for all things, and to reward your faithfulness with the joy and peace which the world cannot give, neither can it take away. Amen."

"Amen." The tearful guests parroted.

"Nick, Greg," The Minister smiled at each of them. "You may now unite your marriage with a kiss."

Greg leant forwards first, licking his lips, smiling as Nick immediately did the same. He brought their lips together for a delicate kiss, keeping it strictly PG for Nick's father's sake. He felt Nick melting into his arms, surrendering everything he was to him.

"C'mon, Nicky," Greg slipped into his hand into Nick's grasping his fingers over the back of his husband's hand. "Are you ready to take your first steps as a married man in the real world?"

"More than ready." He replied, returning the same grip to Greg's hand. He smiled as he looked into his husband's eyes, finally feeling as though he belonged.

Complete at last.

**The End**

**Or is it?**

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks so much for following this story.<strong>

**It's a sort of cliffe ending because I might write a sequel to it. I say might, because I haven't planned on writing one, but after re-reading this last chapter, I thought up another story line, so I changed how Loretta went out.**

**Please let me know what you thought, and if you would like more stories with AR or gender swap theme to them.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~ Holly**


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